
Class 
Book. 



— fc - ■ ■ ■ ■ » iw iaagai^fc ri i nm _^ 

■1 



EA.RLY T IMEv^ 



I3>T 



/^I~A 



PEX 





By J: C. DUVAL. 



M 



COPYRIGHTED 189S 



v..'^-7vr^i:? 



H. P. N. GAMMEL & CO., Publishers, 
\ Austin, Texas. 



"m 






-^^ 




99 



•z 



'—^ "^ ©t >'L 



PRINTED AND BOUND 



B"^ 



EUGENE VON BOECKMANN^ 

AUSTIN, TEXAS. 






*<!) 



rvf 



^I-^SO" 



CONTENTS. 



EARLY TIMES IN TEXAS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Introductory— Volunteers for Texas— Down the Missis- 
sippi—New Orleans— Out on the Gulf 13 

CHAPTER II. 

First View of the "Promised Land "—Mustered into Ser- 
vice — Unsuccessful Cruise 18 

CHAPTER III. 
Leave for Copano— Rendezvous of Lafitte the Pirate- 
March to Refugio— March to Goliad 23 

CHAPTER IV. 

Description of Goliad— Tired of Tramping the Boys 
Mount Mustangs but Dismount very Expeditiously 29 

CHAPTER V. 

Rumors of the Advance of Santa Anna— Massacre of 
Capt. Grant and his Men— Battle of Refugio and Mas- 
sacre of Capt. King and his Men— Col. Fannin's Re- 
treat and Fatal Halt in the Prairie 35 



iv Gonients* 

CHAPTER VI. 

Mexican Cavalry surround us on the Prairie — Col. Hor- 
ton and his Men cut off from us — Retreat of the 
Enemy 

CHAPTER VII. 

Texan Loss in the Coletto Fight — Dismal Night on the 
Prairie — Capitulation agreed upon — Mexican Loss in 
the Fight 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Major Ward and Battalion brought to Goliad— Also Capt. 
Miller and men— Marched out in three Divisions — The 
Massacre — Dobeil Escapes 

CHAPTER IX. 

Headed off by a Party of Lancers — Witness the Murder 
of Five or Six of our men — Execution of Col. Fannin 
— Wonderful Escape of Wm. Hunter c 

CHAPTER X. 

Narrow Escape from Lancers — Suffering from Hunger — 
Lost — Return nearly to Goliad 6 

CHAPTER XI. 

Great Suffering from Hunger — Reach the Guadalupe 
River — Indians — Mexican Lion 6t 

CHAPTER XII. 

Mexican Marauders— Brown and myself captured — At- 
tempt to escape — I succeed but Brown is recaptured — 
Sleep once more under a roof 72 



Contents. v 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Unsuccessful Search for my Companions — I set out again 
— Trailed by Indians 77 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Sleep Luxuriously in a bed — Make Another Start — At- 
tempt to Steal a Mexican Soldier's Gun 83 

CHAPTER XV. 

Followed by Wolves — Mexicans and Indians — Indian 
Camp — Signal Smokes — Lost on the Prairie ^^ 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Narrow Escape from Indians — Reach the Colorado River 
and swim it — Old Caney Creek — Immense Cane Brake 
— Get into comfortable quarters 94 

CHAPTER XVII. 

In Clover — Pitching a Tent over a "Den" of Rattlesnakes 
Followed by "Scout" 100 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Camp in Cane Brake — Vain Search for a Road — Narrow 
Escape from a Party of Lancers 104 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Return to my Domicil — Another Start — Again in Search 
of a Road — Night Alarms iii 

CHAPTER XX. 

I astonish a couple of Mexicans — Return again to my 
old quarters — Find a Road across the Brake at last — 
Encounter with two bears 117 



vi ConfeJits, 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Bid Farewell to my comfortable quarters — Immense 
Cane Brake — Dodge a Mexican Soldier, and a Party 
of Indians 122 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Prairie on Fire — Narrow Escape from Drowning — A 
Mirage — Mexican Cavalry — Meet with two Spies from 
the Texan Army and return with them 127 



THE YOUNG EXPLORERS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Leave for Texas again — Find an Old Schoolmate — Agree 
to go West with him i 

CHAPTER II. 

Stop at an "unhealthy" locality — A party of Comanches 
pay us a visit — Cayote Ranche 14 

CHAPTER III. 

Leave Cayote Ranch — Witness a Race between Tim Mc- 
Garity, Pat O'Houlihan and a large party of Indians 
— The Exploring Expedition 26 

CHAPTER IV. 

Make the acquaintance of Uncle Seth — He finally agrees 
to take command of the Exploring party— Leave Fron- 
tier Hall 46 



Contents. 



CHAPTER V. 



San Antonio — The Alamo and the old Missions — Bov 
and Crockett — Fight between Citizens and Comanch 
in the Plaza — Riding Match betweed Rangers, Coma 
dies and Rancheros 6 i 



» 



CHAPTER VI. 

Mr. Pitt courts the Muses — Leave the City — Turk 
Steaks — A False Alarm 

CHAPTER Vn. 

Indian Sign — The "Stampede" — Cudjo disappears in 
Row, but turns up unexpectedly 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Cudjo's race with the Javalinas — They tree Henry 
myself — Wolves around Camp , . . 

CHAPTER IX. 

Off again — Meet a company of Trappers — Indian I 
oglyphics — A vast Drove of Mustangs 

CHAPTER X. 

Mr. Pitt tells of his narrow escape from Comancl 
The Canyon de Uvalde — The old Mine. ....... 

CHAPTER XL 

Mr. Pitt's odorous Yarn — Kill our first Buffalo- 
Beaver's Dam — Uncle Seth tells how Bill Shanl -^ 
his little muel, beat his race nag .... 



'1 



Contents, 

CHAPTER XII. 

le Rio Frio—Meet a party of Choctaw Indians 
Dinner with them— Mr. DobelVs Yarn 155 

CHAPTER Xni. 

nd Willie go on a Buffalo Chase with the Choc- 
; -Indian Rock Tower— Lawrence and I find a huge 
. t ^77 

CHAPTER XIV. 

a part of the country on the west branch of Frio 

ip at the Head of the Frio 200 

CHAPTER XV. 

)ign — Big Drunk's Spies discover a Comanche 
—Preparing for the Scrimmage 213 

CHAPTER XVI. 

i |ies attack us — Henry and Cudjo wounded — 
Lw killed — Comanches driven off — Eeturn to 
fer Hall — Concluding Remarks 226 



APPENDIX, 

'.en under the Command of Col. J. W. Fannin 
,—36 243 



PREFACE. 



Several of my young friends here who have read a little 
book I published many years ago, entitled " The Adventures 
of Big Foot Wallace," and were pleased with it, have re- 
quested me to write another and tell them whatever I thought 
would interest them about early times in Texas. In reply I 
stated to my young friends that I had lived the greater por- 
tion of my life on the frontiers, where opportunities for learn- 
ing and improvement in a literary way, were as few and far 
betw'een as the settlements, and consequently I did not think 
I was capable of writing a book that would interest them like 
those of Mayne Reid and many other popular authors of 
juvenile works. But my young friends said that boys didn't 
care much for style or literary merit, that all they wanted 
•' was a truthful account of scenes and incidents that had actu- 
ally occurred, not fictitious ones that never had an existence 
except^in the imagination of the author. 

Since then I have come to the conclusion that my young 
friends were probably right in saying that a boy would be 
more interested in a story he believed to be true, although 
badly told, than he would be in one he knew was fictitious, 
even if it were faultless as a literary production. I have there- 
fore determined to comply with their request and write them 
as good a book as I can about early times in Texas (which is 
all they can reasonably expect). I candidly admit that the 
many defects and crudities of the book, have had but little 



Early Times in Texas, or the Ad- 
ventures of Jack Dobell. 



CHAPTEK I. 

Introductory— The Volunteers for Texas — Down the 
Mississippi — New Orleans — Out on the Gulf. 

In 1835 the people of Texas, or rather the settlers from the 
"States," determined to throw off the Mexican yoke, and re- 
sist to the last extremity any further encroachment upon their 
liberties. At that time, with the exception of Mexicans and 
Indians, there was probably not more than twenty thousand 
people in the colonies, and although the Mexican government 
for several years previously had shown a disposition to ignore 
the rights and privileges guaranteed them under the Consti- 
tution of 1824,1 hardly think the colonists with their lim- 
ited means and numbers would have ventured to rebel against 
its authority, if they had not counted largely on getting all 
the aid they should need to carry out the revolution success- 
fully, from their friends and brethren in the United States. 
In this expectation they were not disappointed. Many 
young men, from almost every State in the Union, armed and 
equipped at their own expense, hastened to the assistance of 
the colonists, as soon as the standard of rebellion was raised. 

A volunteer company was organized for this purpose in my 
native village, and although I was scarcely old enough to 
bear arms, I resolved to join it. But i-t was no aspiration for 
" military fame " that induced me to do so. One of the fre- 



14 Early Times in Texas. 

qiient visitors at my father's house was an old friend of his, 
who had been in Texas and traveled over a considerable por- 
tion of it, and who subsequently held a position in the cabi- 
net of the first president. He was enthusiastic in his praise 
of the country, and insensibly an ardent longing sprang up 
in my bosom to see for myself the " broad prairies," the 
beautiful streams and vast herds of buffalo and wild horses 
of which he had so often given me glowing descriptions. By 
joining this company I thought an opportunity would be af- 
forded me of gratifying it which perhaps might never again 
offer itself, and so, in spite of the opposition of relatives and 
friends, my name was added to the muster roll. 

I purchased a good Kentucky rifle (with the use of which 
1 was already well acquainted), shot pouch, powder horn, 
tomahawk, and butcher knife, and thus equipped, with my 
knapsack on my shoulders, I fell into ranks, and amid the 
waving of handkerchiefs and the cheering of bystandeis I bid 
adieu to my native village and started for the " promised 
land " of Texas. 

It was the latter part of November when we left B — , and 
though not very, cold, the snow was some three or four inches 
deep on the ground, which retarded our march so much that 
we only made about twenty miles by sunset, when we halted 
for the night in a grove near the margin of a stream that 
empties into the famous ^' Salt River.'' We cleared away the 
snow from under the trees, built up log heaps for fires, and 
after eating our supper of hot coffee, " hard tack " and fried 
middling, for which our tramp had given us excellent appe- 
tites, we spread our blankets upon the fallen leaves and 
turned in for the night. 

The next morning we were on the road by sunrise, and about 
dusk, after a toilsome and fatiguing march through the slush 
and mud (for a thaw had set in) we reached the city of Lou- 
isville and took up our quarters at the Gait House. The 



Adventures of Jack Dohcll. 15 

next day we purchased a supply of provisions— enough to last 
us for the voyage — and went on board of a steamer bound 
for New Orleans. 

Nothing worthy of note occurred on the passage. Occa- 
sionally, by way of varying the monotony of our daily life, 
we would go ashore when the boat landed for wood or freight, 
and get up an impromptu " shooting match," in which the 
skill of our Kentucky riflemen was exhibited, greatly to the 
astonishment of the "natives." It was no unusual thing for 
many of them to put three balls out of five, at the distance 
of one hundred yards, into a paper not larger than a silver 
dollar. 

The second day of the voyage we left the snow and ice be- 
hind us, and on the fourth we came to the region of "Spanish 
moss." The trees on both banks of the river were draped in 
its long funereal folds, which waving slowly back and forth in 
the breeze, was too suggestive of any but cheerful thoughts. 
The next day we came to the "coast," a strip of country so 
called, extending along the river for more than a hundred 
miles above the city of New Orleans. It is protected from 
overflow (though not entirely) by what are termed " levees," 
or embankments, thrown up on each side of the river, a few 
paces back from the margin, but these are sometimes broken 
through in very high stages of water. The river was uuusu- 
ally full at the time we passed, and in one place we noticed 
where the water had made a breach in the embankment more 
than a hundred feet in width, through which it was rushing 
with the velocity of a mill race, and had already inundated 
the coast country on that side as far as the eye could extend. 

From the time we struck the ''coast" we experienced no 
more cold weather. Everywhere the forests were still green, 
and the orange and pomegranate were bending down with the 
weight of their ripened fruit. Here, too, we first observed 
extensive fields of cotton and sugar cane, in the former of 



16 Early Times in Texas. 

which gangs of negroes were seen, bearing huge baskets 
filled with the "snowy fleece" upon their woolly heads. 

The fifth day, we reached New Orleans, fortunately just in 
time to secure a [>assage on a schooner that was to sail the 
next day for Velasco, a small port at the mouth of the Brazos 
river. The following day, before the schooner was ready to 
sail, I had an opportunity to see the city, of which I was 
glad to avail myself. The great number of vessels moored in 
along line to the wharves, the puffing of steamboats, the 
clatter of drays and carts, the noise and bustle on the levee, 
and the jargon of foreign tongues were all calculated to fill 
with astonishment and wonder the mind of a youth who had 
never before been beyond the precincts of his native village. 

In the evening we embarked with all our goods and chat- 
tels on the schooner, and having made fast to a tow-boat, in 
company with two ships and a bark, we were soon under way, 
and bade farewell to the ''Crescent City," and its forests of 
masts and tapering spires quickly faded away in the distance. 

From New Orleans to the mouth ot the Mississippi the 
scenery along the river is monotonous and dreary. Low 
swampy lands extended back in an unbroken level as far as 
we could see, in some places entirely covered with water and 
in others with a rank, luxuriant growth of reeds and coarse 
grass, among which cranes and many other aquatic birds 
could be seen silently standing in rows, or stalking solemnly 
about in search of the reptiles with which these marshes 
abounded. Along the shores immense piles of drift wood 
were heaped up, amongst which, and scarcely to be distin- 
guished from the decayed logs composing them, the black 
scaly sides of an alligator could now and then be seen, to be 
saluted whenever within range, by a shower of bullets from 
our rifles. 

The Mississippi empties into the gulf by three mouths and 
about lo o'clock the day after we had left New Orleans, we 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 17 

entered the one called the " Southwest Pass" and an hour 
or so afterwards we had crossed the "bar" and were roll- 
ing and tossing upon the blue waves of the gulf of Mexico. 
The line was cast off from the tow-boat, sails hoisted and 
soon we were scudding along before a fair wind in the direc- 
tion of the distant shores of Texas. For a long way out we no- 
ticed that the blue waters of the gulf refused to ''fraternize" 
with the vast mufldy stream continually pouring in from 
the mouths of the ^Mississippi. 

In a few hours we lost sight of the low shores of Louisiana, 
and nothing was to be seen but the sky and the apparently 
interminable waste of blue water. Our schooner was a small 
one, and with more than fifty passengers on board, it can 
easily be imagined we were packed rather too closely to- 
gether for comfort. For my share of the sleeping accomoda- 
tions, I appropriated a large coil of chain cable, in the hol- 
low of which by doubling up after the fashion of a jack 
knife, I managed to snooze pretty comfortably at night. 



CHAPTEE II. 

Catching a Norther — Flying Fish — Land ho ! — The City 
OF Velasco — Dangerous bar — First view of the "Prom- 
ised Land" — Not very promising — Camp at the rival 
City of Quintana — Mustered into service — False 
Alarm — Ordered on Board of Sloop of War Invincible 
— Galveston Island — Loss of one of our Boat's Crew 
— Unsuccessful Cruise. 

The second day of our voyage about sunset, we observed a 
black cloud towards the north, which spreading rapidly soon 
obscured the whole heavens. Sails were hauled down and 
reefed, the hatches secured, and every precaution taken for 
the safety of the vessel in the approaching "norther" — one 
of those fierce winds that frequently occur during the winter 
season in the gulf of Mexico, as well as on the prairies of 
Texas. We had scarcely made "all snug" when the norther 
struck the schooner with unusual violence, carrying away 
our maintop mast, and forcing the vessel almost upon her 
beam ends. She soon righted however, and away we flew 
before the blast that whistled and shrieked through the cord- 
age in a way not at all pleasant and enlivening to the ears 
of a landsman. In a little while the waves began to rise and 
the vessel to toss and pitch like an unbroken mustang, and 
feeling some of the premonitory symptoms of sea sickness, 
such as a frantic effoit to throw up my boots, I retired to my 
coil of cable below ; but the tossing of the schooner, the 
rushing of the waves along side and the trampling of sailors 
on deck effectually drove away sleep. 

The next morning the storm had abated, the sun shone out 



Adventures of Jack Dooell. 19 

clear and warm, and from that time until we reached Velasco 
we had no more bad weather. Whilst the storm lasted, a 
number of flying fish fell upon the deck of the schooner, 
which the sailors secured, and we found them to be an agree- 
able addition to our ordinary fare of sea biscuit and "salt 
junk." They are a delicate little fish, from six to eight 
inches in length with two long fins resembling wings project- 
ing Irom the upper portion of the body. When chased by the 
dolphin or other large fish, they may be seen rising in 
schools from the tops of the waves, and flying forty or fifty 
yards in the direction of the wind ; then dipping again into 
the crests of tbe billows, from which they quickly rise for an- 
other flight, should their enemies still continue to pursue 
them. Their flight rarely exceeds forty or fifty yards, for the 
reason that their fins cannot serve the purpose of wings un- 
less frequently moistened by contact with the water. 

On the morning of the seventh day after leaving South- 
west Pass, the bhores of Texas were dimly discernible from 
the masthead, looking like a long low cloud on the western 
horizon. The wind was "dead ahead" and we were nearly 
the whole day beating up within sight of the beach and the 
few miserable little shanties that then constituted the city of 
Velasco. Finding it was impossible to cross the bar with the 
wind ahead, we cast anchor in the roadstead, hoping it would 
be more favorable the next day. But the next morning it 
was still from the same quarter, and tired out with our con- 
finement on board of the vessel a dozen of us manned the 
long boat, resolved to make a landing in spite of "wind and 
weather." But in this we "reckoned without our host," for 
we missed the channel, got into the breakers which came very 
near swamping our boat, and we were glad to make our es- 
cape from them back to the schooner again. Two years sub- 
sequently I saw a boat capsize amongst those same breakers, 
and although in full view of many people on shore, everyone 



20 Early Times in Texas. 

on board of her was drowned before any assistance could be 
given them. 

Not long after our return to the schooner, to our great joy 
the wind hauled around to the east, which enabled us to 
cross the bar, and soon we were safely anchored in the mouth 
of the Brazos river. The country in the immediate vicinity 
of Velasco is low, and back of it a dead level prairie extend- 
ed as far as the eye could reach ; consequently I must con- 
fess I was not much pleased with the first view of the "prom- 
ised land." Velasco was a miserable little village consist- 
ing of two stores and a hotel, so called; and five or six grog 
shops, dignified with the name of "saloons." Opposite to it, 
on the south bank of the river was the rival city of Quintana, 
containing about the same number of shanties and a mixed 
population of Yankees, Mexicans and Indians. 

We landed upon the Quintana side and pitched our camp 
upon the beach, adjoining the camps of several other com- 
panies that had arrived a few days previously. Here we re- 
mained two weeks or more, and as we were liberally supplied 
with rations by the patriotic firm of Mc Kinney & Williams, 
and game and fish were to be had in abundance, we 
"fared sumptuously" every day. In hunting and fishing, 
making tents, cleaning our guns, and preparing in other ways 
for our anticipated campaign, our time passed pleasantly 
enough. 

Whilst at this place our company was formally mustered 
into service of the embryo Republic of Texas. It was left 
optional with us to enlist for twelve months or for "during 
the war," and we unanimously chose the latter upon the prin- 
ciple of "in for a penny, in for a pound," or as Davy Crockett 
would have said, we resolved to "go the whole hog or none." 

One day whilst we were encamped at Quintana we had 
quite an exciting scene, which bade fair for a time to initiate 
us into the realities of actual warfare. Two vessels were seen 



Adveniures of Jack Dohell. 21 

in the offing, one of them evidently in hot pursuit of the other. 
As soon as they had approached near enough to be distinctly 
seen through a glass, it was asserted by several who claimed 
to know, that the smaller vessel was the Invincible, a 
schooner recently purchased by Texas, and the larger one in 
pursuit was the Bravo, a noted Mexican privateer. In this 
opinion we were confirmed, as a sharp cannonading began 
between the two vessels. Our company was at once ordered 
on board of a small steamer lying in the mouth of the Brazos, 
with instructions to hasten to the assistance of the Invinci- 
ble with as little delay as possible. We quickly got up steam, 
and notwithstanding the violence of the breakers on the bar, 
which on two occasions broke entirely over our little steamer, 
we were soon alongside of the foremost vessel, which proved 
to be as we had supposed, the Texas schooner. Invincible. 
By this time the other vessel had approached near enough to 
be recognized as the Brutus, lately purchased also for the 
Texas navy, and after the interchange of some signals the 
firing ceased. Each vessel, it seems, had mistaken the othei 
for the Bravo, and hence the pursuit of the Brutus, and the 
attempt of the Invincible to escape, as she had only a sailing 
crew on board; and we were compelled to return to camp 
without having had an opportunity of "fleshing our maiden 
swords." 

A iew days afterwards, our company was ordered to take 
up our quarters on board the Invincible, to serve as a kind 
of marine corps for her protection until a regular crew could 
be enlisted. Whilst on board of her, in the hope of meeting 
the Bravo, we took a cruise along the coast as far as the east 
end of Galveston island. Here an incident occurred, which 
as being indicative of the great changes that have taken 
place since the times of which I write, may be worth men- 
tioning. We were lying at anchor off the point of the isl- 
and, and as we were running short of wood and water, a boat 



22 Early Times iu Texas, 

was sent ashore for a supply. The former could be had in 
any quantity along the beach, and the latter, though slightly 
brackish, by digging shallow wells at the base of the sand 
hills. When the boat was ready to return, it was found that 
one of the crew, who had wandered off from the well whilst 
the others were filling the casks, was missing. Search was 
made for him^ but he was nowhere to be seen, and as there 
was every appearance of a "norther" coming up, the officer 
in command of the boat thought it most prudent to hasten 
back to the vessel, leaving the missing man on the island. In 
a few minutes after the boat reached the vessel the norther 
struck us, and we were compelled to hoist anchor and run 
before it. 

Three days elapsed in beating back to our anchorage, and 
a boat was immediately sent ashore with a crew of half a 
dozen men, to look for our lost comrade. At length he was 
found, five or six miles below the place where he had been 
left, wandering on the beach, searching for oysters and clams, 
upon which he had subsisted since leaving the vessel. His 
mind was considerably affected by exposure to the norther, 
his fear of wild beasts and savages, and the apprehension of 
our failing to return. For several days he talked in a wild 
and incoherent manner, and he did not entirely regain his 
mind for two or three weeks. For three days this man had 
wandered about the island without seeing a living soul, and 
yet it is probable he was at no time more than four or five 
miles from where Galveston, a city of forty thousand inhab- 
itants, now stands! 

After an unsuccessful cruise in search of the Bravo, we re- 
turned to Quintana, and pitched our tents again upon our 
old camping ground. 



CHAPTER III. 

Leave for Copano— Land at Matagorda Island— Rendez 
vous OF Lafitte the Pirate— Arrive at Copano — Texas 
Rangers— March TO Refugio— Old Church at Refugio 
— Primitive Method of Skimming Milk — March to Go- 
liad — Caranchua Indians — Deer — Wild Horses — 
Northers — Arrival at Goliad. 

A day or so after our return to Quintana, the officer in 
command of the Invincible was instructed to take our com- 
pany on board and to sail immediately for Copano, on Aran- 
sas bay, where we were to disembark and march from thence 
to Goliad. It was rumored that a considerable force had 
already been concentrated at that point, under the command 
of Col. J. W. Fannin, destined for the invasion of the border 
States of Mexico, and of course we surmised that our com- 
pany would form a part of the invading army. 

We set sail about dark, and a brisk norther springing up, 
by daylight the next morning we were in sight of Aransas 
Pass, which we shortly entered without difficulty, and cast 
anchor in a secure harbor behind the southwest point of 
Matagorda island. This harbor had been, in times past, a 
rendezvous for the vessels of the famous pirate, Lafitte. On 
the island the embankments around his old camping grounds 
or fortifications were still visible, and along the beach were 
many posts yet standing with iron rings affixed to them, 
which undoubtedly had been used for securing the small 
boats that plied between the vessels and the shore. "The 
pass" was known then only to Lafitte and his followers, and 
here in security they could repair their vessels, supply them 
with wood and water, and divide among themselves the spoils 



24 Early Times in Texas. 

of their piratical expeditions. On the east end of Galveston 
island they had a similar place of rendezvous, near where the 
city now stands, and the remains of their fortifications could 
be plainly seen when I first landed on the island, in 1837. 
A few years ago, while excavating sand near these old forti- 
fications, some workmen found a considerable amount of old 
Spanish coin, buried there no doubt, by some pirate on the 
eve of his departure upon some marauding expedition, from 
which probably he never returned. 

We remained on the island several days, passing the time 
very pleasantly hunting and fishing, and gathering oysters? 
which were abundant in the bay, and then we embarked on 
board of a small vessel for Copano, which at that time was 
the principal port of Southwest Texas. In a few hours we 
reached the port, and landing, we pitched our tents on the 
bluff just back of it. Here we found a company of Texas 
Rangers who had been on frontier service for six months, 
during all of which time they had not seen a morsel of bread. 
They had subsisted solely upon beef and the game they 
killed. We gave them a part of the "hard tack" we had 
brought with us, and though wormeaten and musty, they de- 
voured it with as keen a relish as if it had been the greatest 
delicacy. Although they had had no bread for so long a 
time, they were healthy and in "good order," which con- 
vinces me that Byron was right in saying that man was a 
carniverous animal, and would bear vegetables '-'only in a 
grumbling way" — especially beans. 

From Copano (which consisted mainly of a warehouse 
and a large tank of fresh water) we took up the line of march 
lor Refugio, distant about twenty miles. It is situated on a 
little stream called Mission river, near the bank of which we 
pitched our tents, just before sunset. Refugio at that time 
contained about two dozen adobe huts (inhabited by a mixed 
population of Irish and Mexicans), and an old, dilapidated 



Adveniitres of Jack Dohell. 25 

churchj built, I was told, the same year that Philadelphia was 
founded. A few months subsequently Refugio was the scene 
of a hard fought battle between thirty-five Americans under 
Capt. King, and a large body of Mexican cavalry. 

The old church, where King and his men defended them- 
selves for some time against a host of Mexicans, when I last 
saw it, still showed evidence of the severity of the conflict in 
its battered walls and its roof perforated with shot from the 
Mexican artilery. 

Observing a number of fat cows in the vicinity of the vil- 
lage, I concluded to go out and forage, for a little of the "lac- 
teal fluid," of which we had not had a drop since leavirtg 
Kentucky. So taking a camp kettle in my hand I went to 
the nearest house and inquired of a woman standing at the 
door, if she had any milk for sale. " Faith, and I have," 
said she, ''any kind you may want, swate milk, butter milk, 
clabber milk and blue Johns." I told her I would take some 
of the ''swate," whereupon she led me to a small out-house, 
in which were a number of pans filled with milk. Selectir 
one containing the "swate," she rolled up her sleeve and 
liberately proceeded to skim it with her open hand, v 
looked to me to have been unacquainted with soap an' 
for some time past. When she had finished skim*- le 

milk in this primitive fashion, she poured the con* the 

pan into ray camp kettle, at the same time sayi' .here, 

my little mon, there's a pan of milk for yez thai . for the 
Pope of Room, Heaven protect His Holiness." I said noth- 
ing, though like the owl I did a good deal of thinking, paid 
for the milk and returned to camp, where my hungry mess- 
mates speedily emptied the kettle, wondering that I took cof- 
fee in preference to such nice new milk. I told them of the 
skimming process I had witnessed, but men in camp are not 
usually very "squeamish," and they merely said " that what 
would not poison would fatten;" that they had to " eat their 

2 



26 Early Times in Texas. 

peck of dirt anyhow," and the sooner they got through with 
the job the better. 

The next morning we continued our march for Goliad, 
about thirty miles distant, but as we got a late start, we only 
made twenty miles or so by sunset, and pitched our camp 
near a pool of fresh water, under the shelter of some spread* 
ing live oak trees. Here we found encamped a band of the 
Caranchua tribe of Indians, at that time professing to be 
friendly to the Americans. We were told that these Indians 
were cannibals, that they always devoured the prisoners they 
look in their conflicts with their enemies. They were the 
largest Indians I have ever seen, scarcely a man among them 
being less than six feet high, and many of them over six feet. 
The men were entirely naked, saving a breech cloth fastened 
around the waist, and being hideously painted, one can read- 
ily imagine that they presented a most ferocious and savage 
appearance. Their language was the most peculiar jargon 
of gutteral sounds I ever heard, the words seeming to be 
articulated by some spasmodic action of the throat without 
any aid from the tongue or lips. They were armed with long 
lances, bows and arrows, and a few with old flint-lock mus- 
kets. 

These Indians some time afterwards captured several 
AmericcHS and killed and "barbecued" them, which so en- 
raged the settlers that they organized an expedition against 
them and succeeded in exterminating the whole tribe with 
the exception of a small remnant that fled to Mexico. These 
Caranchuas, I believe, were the only Indians known to be 
cannibals, on the North American continent. 

Along the whole route from Copano to where we were en- 
camped, we had seen great numbers of deer, sometimes as 
many as two or three hundred in a drove, and so unused to 
being hunted or disturbed by man, that even when we ap- 
proached within a few yards of them they showed no signs 



Adveydures of Jack Dohell. 27 

of fear. Of course we had no difficulty in getting fresh meat 
whenever we wanted it. Once, too, at the distance of half a 
mile we saw a large drove of mustangs, but they were much 
wilder than the deer, for when several of us attempted to ap- 
proach them, they circled around us out of range of our rifles, 
every now and then stopping a moment, stamping and snort- 
ing, until at last one of them that seemed to be the leader of 
the drove, started off at full speed, and the rest following, in 
a short time nothing but a cloud of dust indicated the direc- 
tion they had taken. Some years subsequent to this, a com- 
pany of rangers to which I belonged, when in pursuit of Indi- 
ans in the country between the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers, 
met with a drove of mustangs so large that it took us fully an 
hour to pass it, although they were traveling at a rapid rate 
in a direction nearly opposite to the one we were going. As far 
as the eye could extend on a dead level prairie, nothing was 
visible except a dense mass of horses, and the trampling of 
their hoofs sounded like the roar of the surf on a rocky coast. 
Most persons probably would be inclined to doubt this 
'•'horse story,'^ and to consider it one to be told to the -'horse 
marines" alone ; yet it is literally true, and many are still 
living who were with me at the time, who can testify that my 
statement is in no manner exaggerated. 

During the night a norther came up, but as we were well 
protected by thick timber, which afforded plenty of fuel for 
our fires, we managed to keep pretty comfortable. These 
**northers," as they are called in Texas, are winds that spring 
up suddenly from the North, during the winter season, some- 
times *Mry,*' at other times accompanied with rain or sleet. 
At first they blow with considerable violence, but gradually 
subside in the course of one, two or three days, and are fol- 
lowed usually by a week or so of clear, pleasant weather. 
To travelers unprepared for them they are very disagreeable 
visitants, and instances have been known of persons freezing 



28 Early Times in Texas. 

to death in them when caught out in the open prairies where 
there was no shelter from the wind nor means of making a 
fire. 

Early the next morning we took the road for Goliad again, 
and in the course of three or four hours we came in sight of 
the dome of the old Mission. Not long afterwards we entered 
the town and took up our quarters in an empty stone build- 
ing near the old church. Here we found about four hun- 
dred men under the command of Colonel J. W. Fannin, the 
force with which it was designed to invade the border States 
of Mexico. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Description of Goliad — Daily Drills and "Dress Par- 
tides'' — Our Company Called the "Mustangs," and 
THE Reason Why! — March to San Patricio — Car- 
lo's Ranch — (Capture of the Rev. Padre and his 
Couriers — An Alarm that Ended very Pleasantly — 
Indebted to the Rev. Padre for a "Good Square 
Meal" — Tired of Tramping the Boys Mount Mustangs 
BUT Dismount very Expeditiously — Return on Foot to 
Goliad. 

Goliad, at the time we arrived there, contained a popula- 
tion of about two thousand Mexicans who were professedly 
friendly to the Texans, but who afterwards, when Santa Anna 
invaded the country, proved to be their most vindictive foes. 
I must, however, make an exception in favor of the "Senor- 
itas,"who generally preferred the blue-eyed, fair complexioned 
young Saxons to their copper-colored beaux. 

Goliad is situated on the south side of the San Antonio 
river, about forty miles above its mouth, and ninety-five miles 
below the city of San Antonio. The American town of Go- 
liad, built up since the war, is situated nearly opposite the 
old town, on the north side of the river. After the defeat of 
Santa Anna, the great majority of the inhabitants of the old 
town abandoned the place and went to Mexico. When I last 
saw it, in 1877, its population had dwindled down to one or two 
hundred miserable "peons" and most of the '"'jacals" or 
huts were gone. The Old Mission, with its dilapidated walls, 
half a dozen stone tenements and a few adobe houses alone 
remained to designate the spot where once had stood the old 
town of Goliad. 



30 Early Times iu Texas. 

The lands around the place are rich and productive, and 
the locality (though we did not find it so) is a healthy one. 
Thousands of fat beeves roamed the prairies in its vicinity 
and as corn could be had in abundance upon the neighbor- 
ing ranches, we were well supplied with provisions. Besides, 
when the Texans took possession of the place, several months 
previous to our arrival, a large amount of sugar and coffee 
was found in the Mexican commissary department, which, of 
course, we did not scruple to appropriate to our own use. 

In order to render his little force as effective as possible, 
when the time for action should come, Colonel Fannin or- 
dered daily drills, which were my detestation and from which 
I invariably absented myself whenever I had a pretext for 
doing so. I greatly preferred hunting deer in the prairies 
and attending the ''fandangos" or dances that took place 
daily and nightly in one part of the town or the other. 

Not long after our arrival at Goliad the soubriquet of Mus- 
tangs or Wild Horses was acquired by our company from the 
following incident: M— ., our second lieutenant, was a man 
of great physical powers, but withal one of the most peace- 
ful and most genial men when not under the influence of 
liquor. But occasionally he would get on a ''spree'' and then 
he was as wild as a "March hare" and perfectly uncontroll- 
able. The Mexicans seemed to know him and to fear him, 
also, and when he was on one of his "benders'' they would 
retreat into their houses as soon as they saw him and shut 
their doors. This proceeding, of course, was calculated to 
irritate M — ., and he would forthwith kick the door from its 
hinges. On a certain occasion he battered down the doors 
of half a dozen houses in one street, and from that time the 
Mexicans called him the "Mustang," and finally the name 
was applied to the company. 

But few events occurred to vary the daily routine of our 
life at Goliad. The following, however, I will mention: Our 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. SI 

company was detailed on one occasion to go to San Patricio, 
an Irish settlement about fifty miles southwest from Goliad, 
for the purpose of securing a couple of field pieces left there 
by the Mexicans. This we accomplished without difficulty, 
and without any opposition, although our scouts had in- 
formed Colonel Fannin that a considerable force of Mexican 
guerillas was in the vicinity of the place. 

On another occasion our company was detailed to march 
to Carlos Ranch, a Mexican village about twenty miles below 
Goliad, with instructions to arrest certain of the inhabitants, 
who, it was ascertained, were constantly transmitting intel- 
ligence of our movements to Santa Anna, and among the num- 
ber was the old padre or priest of the village. In order that 
the Mexicans might not suspect our object and frustrate our 
plans by giving the padre and his friends timely warning of 
our intentions, we left the town quietly after dark in the op- 
posite direction to the one we designed taking. When safe 
beyond observation, we turned our course down the river, 
and making a forced march, we reached the village a little 
before daylight and surrounded it without alarming any of the 
inhabitants. A detachment then entered the padre's house, 
and caught the bird in his nest, together with five or six 
other suspicious characters (supposed to be his couriers, as 
in fact they were), and the whole of them were "bagged" 
without alarming any of the people in the village. Having 
thus accomplished our object we marched to a point on the 
river about a quarter of a mile above, where we halted in a 
grove to rest and prepare something for breakfast. Placing 
a guard over the padre and his couriers, we stacked our 
guns and soon every one was busily engaged in cooking 
such '"grub" as we had in our knapsacks. By this time the 
sun had risen, and we were just seating ourselves on the grass 
around the scanty fare we had prepared for our breakfast 
(consisting of hard tackj jerked beef and the inevitable cof- 



32 Earlij Times in Texas. 

fee), when our attention was drawn to shrieks and dolefuL 
cries in the direction of the village, and seeing a crowd of 
people coming from it towards us, we hastily sprang to our 
guns, thinking the Mexicans were about to make an attempt 
to rescue the prisoners, but as the crowd drew nearer, we 
saw that it was composed mostly of women and children. It 
seems that they had just found out we had captured their 
Reverend padre, and they were coming to bid him farewell 
and obtain his parting blessing. 

I had heard that the Mexicans were completely under the 
control of their priests, but I had but a faint conception of 
the fact until I witnessed the scene that ensued. As the 
came up the women knelt at his feet, weeping and mourning, 
and kissed his hand and even the hem of his priestly robes. 
Presently another crowd of women came from the village, 
bringing with them plates filled with hot '^tortillas," pots of 
coffee, ''dulces," etc., intended for the padre's breakfast, and 
that of the other prisoners, and v/hen they deposited them on 
the grass before them we took possession of them as the 
"legitimate spoils of war" and found they were much better 
than our course of hard tack and dried beef. Such conduct 
on our part, 1 admit, bordered closely on the ''^sacrilegious,''^ 
but then you must remember we had been marching all night 
and of course were very hungry — and as the Mexicans said 
themselves, 'Svhat better could you expect from 'Gringos' 
and heretics! '^ 

Seeing that the Rev. padre would have but little chance to 
get his breakfast until we had ours, the women continued to 
bring in fresh supplies of eatables as fast as we disposed of 
them. Finally however, when our hunger was appeased, the 
Rev. padre and his couriers had a show at what was left. 

In the vicinity of the place where we had halted, we noticed 
a large " corral " in which several hundred head of mustangs 
were penned. We were all tired of " trudging ^' on foot, and 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 33 

concluded we would '^ press" into the service (a military 
term for appropriating property belonging to others) a suffi- 
cient number of these mustangs to mount the whole company. 
Accordingly we compelled the Mexicans to rope and equip 
with saddles and bridles about fifty of them. We were all I 
suppose pretty good horsemen, as the term is understood in 
the "old States," but we knew that these mustangs were only 
partially broken to the saddle, 'and we anticipated having 
some ''fun " when we mounted them — though nothing like as 
much as we really got, for at the time, we were totally ignor- 
ant of that peculiar trick of mustangs called " pitching, '^ by 
which they manage almost invariably to get rid of a "green" 
rider. When the mustangs with considerable difficulty, after 
roping them closely to trees, had all been saddled and bridled, 
at the word of command, we mounted (except five or six who 
failed to do so) and the next instant a scene of horses kicking, 
reaiing and plunging ensued, of which only a confused recol- 
lection remained upon my mind, and in less time than it takes 
me to tell of it, we were all put " hors de combat, " (no pun 
intended.) 

As for the part I took individually in this equestrian per- 
formance, I have only to say that I had hardly seated myself 
in the saddle, when my unruly steed humped his back like a 
mad cat, reared up, and then came down on his stiffened fore 
legs with such force, that if '^ next week " had been lying on 
the ground ten or fifteen feet ahead of me, I would certainly 
have knocked out the middle. I was partially stunned by the 
fall but soon rose to my feet, and was much relieved and con- 
soled looking round, to find that all the rest had been served 
in the same way, except one rider who managed to stick upon 
his horse in spite of all the animal's efforts to get rid of him* 
The Mexicans no doubt had purposely selected the wildest 
horses in the corral, and it is probable the most of them had 
never been backed half a dozen times even by the rancheros 



Early Times in Texas. 

themselves, who are unsurpassed by any people in horseman- 
ship. I am confident that the padre and his flock enjoyed 
this equestrian performance much more than the actors, but 
as heretofore the laugh had been all on our side, we did not 
blame them for the pleasure they took in our discomfiture. 
However, we concluded to dispense with our unmanageable 
steeds, ^* unpressed " them by restoring them to their lawful 
ownerS; and resumed our march on foot for Goliad. The 
Mexican padre was sent to San Felipe on the Brazos, where 
he was securely caged until Santa Anna and his army were 
defeated and driven from Texas. He had the reputation of 
being a great scoundrel and an inveterate gambler, and his 
sinister countenance did not belie " the soft impeachment. " 
I will do him the justice however, to say that we were indebted 
to him for the best breakfast we had eaten since landing in 
Texas. Peace to his ashes. 



CHAPTER V. 

Rumors of the Advance of Gen. Santa Anna — Intended 
Invasion of Mexico Abandoned — Preparations for the 
Defense of Goliad — Santa Anna crosses the Rio 
Grande — Massacre of Capt. Grant and his Men at San 
Patricio— Capt. King with Thirty-five Men sent to 
Refugio — Battle at Refugio and Massacre of Capt. 
King and his men — Dispatch from General Houston 
— Georgia Battalion under Major Ward sent to the 
Assistance of Capt. King — Capture of the Georgia 
Battalion — Col. Fannin determines to Retreat — Pre- 
parations FOR Retreating — The Retreat and fatal 
" Halt " in the Prairie. 

Some time after our arrival at Goliad, information was ob- 
tained from some friendly Mexicans that General Santa Anna 
was preparing to enter Texas at the head of a large army; 
consequently all idea of invading Mexico, was abandoned? 
and we set to work to render the fortifications around the old 
missions as defensible as possible. We strengthened the 
walls in mnny places, built several new bastions on which 
artillery was placed in such a way as to command all the 
roads leading into the town. 

Every day we were drilled by our officers for three hours 
in the morning and two in the afternoon, which, as I have 
said before was a great bore to me, as I would have preferred 
passing the time in hunting and fishing. We also deepened 
the trenches around the walls, and dug a ditch from the fort 
to the river, and covered it with plank and earth, so that we 
might obtain a supply of water, if besieged, without being 
exposed to the fire of the enemy. We were well supplied 



36 Early Times in Texas. 

with artillery and ammunition for the same, and also with small 
arms, and had beef, sugar and coffee enough to last us for 
two months — but very little bread. 

Some time in February, a Mexican from the Rio Grande 
arrived at Goliad who informed Col. Fannin that Santa Anna 
had already or would shortly cross the river into Texas with 
a large army which would advance in two divisions, one to- 
wards Goliad and the other towards the city of San Antonio. 
Some days afterwards, two or three Texans came in from San 
Patricio, bringing the news that Capt. Grant and some twen- 
ty-five or thirty men stationed at that place, had been sur- 
prised by a force of Mexican guerillas and all of them 
massacred. About this time also a courier from Refugio 
came in who stated to Col. Fannin that he had been sent by 
the people of that place, to ask for a detachment of men to 
escort them to Goliad, as they were daily expecting an attack 
from the guerillas. 

In compliance with this request, Col. Fannin sent Capt. 
King and his company (about thirty-five men) to act as escort 
for those families who desired to leave. When Capt. King 
and his men reached Refugio, they were attacked on the out- 
skirts of the town by a large force of Mexican cavalry, and be- 
ing hard pressed they retreated into the old mission, a strong 
stone building, at that time encompassed by walls. There 
they defended themselves successfully, and kept the Mexicans 
at bay until their artillery came up, when they opened fire 
upon it with two field pieces which soon breached the walls, 
and the place was then taken by storm. Capt. King and some 
seven or eight of his men (the only survivors of the bloody 
conflict), were captured and led out to a post oak grove north 
of town, where they were tied to trees and shot. Thei^ bones 
were found still tied to the trees, when the Texan forces re- 
occupied the place in the summer of ^2>^. 

About this time a courier arrived bringing a dispatch 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 37 

from Gen. Houston to Col. Fannin, and it was rumored in 
camp that the purport of this dispatch was "that Col. Fannin 
should evacuate Goliad and fall back without delay towardg 
the settlements on the Colorado." But as to the truth of this 
I cannot speak positively. At any rate Col. Fannin showed 
no disposition to obey the order if he received it — on the 
contrary, hearing nothing from Capt. King, although he had 
sent out three scouts at different times to obtain information 
of his movements, all of whom were captured and killed, 
he despatched Maj. Ward with the Georgia Battalion (about 
one hundred and fifty strong) to his assistance. They were 
attacked before they reached Refugio by a large force of 
Mexican cavalry. They made a gallant defense for some 
time against the vastly superior numbers of the enemy, but 
at length their ammunition was exhausted and they were com- 
pelled to retreat to the timber on the river, where they were 
surrounded by the Mexican cavalry, and most of them finally 
captured. 

This division of our small force in the face of an enemy so 
greatly our superior in numbers, was, in my opinion, a fatal 
error on the part of Col. Fannin. 

Hearing nothing either from Capt. King or Major Ward, 
and satisfied from information obtained by our scouts that a 
large force of Mexicans was in the vicinity of Goliad, Col. 
Fannin and his officers held a council of war in which it was 
determined to evacuate the place and fall back as rapidly as 
possible towards Victoria on the Guadalupe river. The same 
day, I believe, or the next after this council of war was held, 
a courier came in from San Antonio bringing a dispatch, as 
I was informed, from Col. Travis, to the effect "that he was 
surrounded in the Alamo by Santa Anna's army, and request- 
ing Col. Fannin to come to his relief without delay.'' 

Rations for five days and as much ammunition as each man 
could conveniently carry were immediately issued, and our 



38 Early Times in Texas. 

whole force, including a small artillery company with two o 
three field pieces, started for San Antonio, crossing the river 
at the ford a half mile or so above town. After crossing the 
river and marching a short distance on the San Antonio road, 
a halt was made and our officers held a consultation, the 
result of which (I suppose) was the conclusion that we could 
not reach San Antonio in time to be of any assistance to Col, 
Travis. At any rate we were marched back to Goliad, re- 
crossing the river at the lower ford. 

A few hours after we had got back to our old quarters, a 
detachment of Mexican cavalry, probably eighty or a hundred 
strong, showed themselves at a short distance from the fort 
apparently bantering us to come out and give them a fight. 
Col. Horton, who had joined us a few days previously with 
twenty-five mounted men, went out to meet them, but when 
he charged them they fled precipitately, and we saw them no 
more that day. 

That evening preparations were made to abandon the place; 
to that end we spiked our heaviest pieces of artillery, buried 
some in trenches, reserving several field pieces, two or three 
howitzers and a mortar to take with us on our retreat. We 
also dismantled the fort as much as possible, burnt the wooden 
buildings in its immediate vicinity and destroyed all the am- 
munition and provisions for which we had no means of trans- 
portation. 

The next morning we bade a final farewell, as we supposed, 
to Goliad, and marched out on the road to Victoria. We had 
nine small pieces of ordnance and one mortar, all drawn by 
oxen as were our baggage wagons. Our whole force com- 
prised about two hundred and fifty men, besides a small com- 
pany of artillery and twenty-five mounted men under Col. 
Horton. 

We crossed the San Antonio river at the ford below town, 
and a short distance beyond Menahecila creek we entered 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 39 

the large prairie extending to the timber on the Coletto, a 
distance of eight or nine miles. When we had approached 
within two and a half or three miles of the point where the 
road we were traveling entered the timber (though it was 
somewhat nearer to the left) a halt was ordered and the oxen 
were unyoked from guns and wagons, and turned out to graze. 
What induced Col. Fannin to halt at this place in the open 
prairie, I cannot say, for by going two and a half miles fur- 
ther, we would have reached the Coletto creek, where there 
was an abundance of water and where we would have had the 
protection of timber in the event of being attacked. I under- 
stood at the time that several of Col. Fannin's officers urged 
him stiongly to continue the march until we reached the 
creek, as it was certain that a large body of Mexican troops 
were somewhere in the vicinity; but however this may be, 
Col. Fannin was not to be turned from his purpose, and the 
halt was made. Possibly he may have thought that two hun- 
dred and fitfy well armed Americans under any circumstances 
would be able to defend themselves against any force the 
Mexicans had within striking distance, but as the sequel will 
show the halt at this place was a most fatal one for us. Up 
to this time we had seen no Mexicans, with the exception o^ 
two mounted men, who made their appearance from some 
timber a long way to our right and who no doubt were spies 
watching our movements. 



CHAPTER VI. 

f) 

Mexican Cavalry surround us on the Prairie — Col. Hor- 
ton and his men cut off from us and forced to retreat 
— The Battle OF Coletpo — In a ''Tight Place" I let off 
my scopet and come very near killing all "behind it." 
— Carise Indian Sharpshooters — Capt. D. gives four 

OF THEM THEIR ''QuiETUS" — MEXICAN PRISONERS ''HOLE" 
themselves RETREA.T OF THE EnEMY. 

At length atter a halt of perhaps an hour and a half on the 
prairie, and just as we were about to resume our march for the 
Coletto, a long dark line was seen to detach itself from the 
timber behind us, and another at the same time from the tim- 
ber to our left. Some one near me exclaimed, "Here come 
the Mexicans !" and in fact, in a little while, we perceived 
that these dark lines were men on horseback, moving rapidly 
towards us. As they continued to approach, they lengthened 
out their columns, evidently for the purpose of surrounding us, 
and in doing so displayed their numbers to the greatest ad- 
vantage. I thought there were at least Un thousa?id (having 
never before seen a large cavalry force), but in reality there 
were about a thousand besides several hundred infantry 
(mostly Carise Indians). 

In the meantime we were formed into a "hollow square" 
with lines three deep, in order to repel the charge of the 
cavalry, which we expected would soon be made upon us. 
Our artillery was placed at the four angles of the square, and 
our wagons and oxen inside. Our vanguard under Col. Hor- 
ton, had gone a mile or so ahead of us, and the first intima- 
tion they had of the approach of the enemy was hearing the 
fire of our artillery when the fight began. They galloped 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 41 

back as rapidly as possible to regain our lines, but the Mex- 
icans had occupied the road before they came up and they 
were compelled to retreat. The Mexicans pursued them be- 
yond the Coletto, but as they were well mounted they made 
their escape. 

The loss of these mounted men was a most unfortunate 
one for us. Had they been with us that night after we had 
driven off the Mexicans, we would have had means of trans- 
portation for our wounded, and could easily have made our 
retreat to the Coletto. 

When the Mexicans had approached to within half a mile 
of our lines they formed into three columns, one remaining 
stationary, the other two moving to our right and left, but 
still keeping at about the same distance from us. Whilst they 
were carrying out this maneuver, our artillery opened upon 
them with some effect, for now and then we could see a 
round shot plough through their dense ranks. When the 
two moving columns, the one on the right and the one on the 
left were opposite to each other, they suddenly changed front 
and the three columns with trumpets braying and pennons 
flying, charged upon us simultaneously from three directions. 

When within three or four hundred yards of our lines 
our artillery opened upon them with grape and cannister 
shot, with deadly effect, — but still their advance was un- 
checked, until their foremost ranks were in actual contact in 
some places with the bayonets of our men. But the fire at 
close quarters from our muskets and rifles was so rapid and 
destructive, that before long they fell back in confusion, 
leaving the ground covered in places with horses and dead 
men. 

Capt. D 's company of Kentucky riflemen and one or 

two small detachments from other companies formed one 
side of our "square,'^ and in addition to our rifles, each man 
in the front rank was furnished with a musket and bayonet to 



42 Earlfj Times in Texas. 

• 

repel the charge of cavalry. Besides my rifle and musket I 
had slung across my shoulders an "escopeta," a short light 
"blunderbuss" used by the Mexican cavalry, which I had 
carried all day in expectation of a fight, and which was heav- 
ily-charged with forty *'blue whistlers" and powder in pro- 
portion. It was my intention only to fire it when in a very 
"tight place," for I was well aware it was nearly as dangerous 
behind \\ as before. In the charge made by the Mexican cav- 
alry they nearly succeeded in breakiug our lines at several 
places, and certainly they would have done so had we not 
taken the precaution of arming all in the front rank with the 
bayonet and musket. At one time it was almost a hand ta 
hand fight between the cavalry and our front rank, but the 
two files in the rear poured such a continuous fire upon the 
advancing columns, that, as I have said, they were finally 
driven back in disorder. It was during this charge and when 
the Mexican cavalry on our side of the square were in a few 
feet of us, that I concluded that I had got into that "tight 
place'' and that it was time to let off the "scopet" I carried. 
I did so, and immediately I went heels over head through 
both ranks behind me. One or two came to my assistance 
supposing no doubt I was shot (and in truth I thought for a 
moment myself that a two ounce bullet had struck me) but I 
soon rose to my feet and took my place in the line again just 
as the cavalry began to fall back. Now, I don't assert that it 
was the forty '-blue whistlers" I had sent among them from 
my "scopet" that caused them to retreat in confusion. I, 
merely mention the fact that they did fall back very soon 
after I had let off the blunderbuss among them. My shoulder 
was black and blue irom th^ recoil for a, month afterwards. 
When I took my place in the line again, I never looked 
for my "scopet," but contented myself while the fight lasted 
with my rifle. 

The Mexicans had no doubt supposed they would be able 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 43 

to break our lines at the first charge, and were evidently- 
much disconcerted by their failure to do so; for although 
they reformed their broken columns and made two more at- 
tempts to charge us, they were driven back as soon as they 
came within close range of our small arms. 

When they were satisfied that it was impossible for them 
to break our lines, the cavalry dismounted and surrounding 
us in open order, they commenced a "fusilade" upon us with 
their muskets and escopetas, but being very poor marksmen, 
most of their bullets passed harmlessly over our heads. Be- 
sides, this was a game at which we could play also, and for 
every man killed or wounded on our side I am confident that 
two or three Mexicans fell before the deadly fire from our 
rifles. But there were with the Mexicans probably a hundred 
or so Carise Indians, who were much more daring, and withal 
better marksmen. They boldly advanced to the front, and 
taking advantage of every little inequality of the ground and 
every bunch of grass that could afford them particular cover, 
they would crawl up closely and fire upon us, and now and 
then the discharge of their long single barrel shot guns was 
followed by the fall of some one in our ranks. Four of them 
had crawled up behind some bunches of tall grass within 
eighty yards of us, from whence they delivered their fire 
with telling effect. Capt. D who was using a heavy Ken- 
tucky rifle, and was known to be one of the best marksmen 
in his company, was requested to silence these Indians. He 
took a position near a gun carriage, and whenever one of the 
Indians showed his head above the tall grass it was perforated 
with an ounce rifle ball, and after four shots they were seen 

no more. At the moment he fired the last shot Capt. D 

had one of the fingers of his right hand taken off by a mus- 
ket ball. When the Mexicans quit the field, we examined the 
locality where these Indians had secreted themselves, and 



44 Early Times in Texas. 

found the four lying closely together, each one with a bullet 
hole through his head. 

At the commencement of the fight a little incident of a 
somewhat ludicrous character occurred. We had some five 
or six Mexican prisoners (the couriers of the old padre, cap- 
tured at Carlos' Ranch). These we had placed within the 
square, when the fight began, for safe keeping, and in an in- 
credibly short time, with picks and shovels, they dug a trench 
deep enough to *'hole" themselves, where they lay ^'perdue" 
and completely protected from bullets. I for one, however, 
didn't blame them, as they were non-combatants, and besides 
to tell the truth when bullets were singing like mad hornets 
around me, and men were struck down near me, I had a great 
inclination to "hole up" myself and draw it in after me. 

The fight continued in a desultory kind of way, until near 
sunset, when we made a sortie upon the dismounted cavalry, 
and they hastily remounted and fell back to the timber to 
our left, where, as soon as it was dark, a long line of fires 
indicated the position of their encampment. 

That night was anything but rest for us, for anticipating a 
renewal of the fight the next morning, all hands were set to 
work digging entrenchments and throwing up embankments, 
and at this we labored unceasingly till nearly daylight. We 
dug four trenches enclosing a square large enough to contain 
our whole force, throwing the earth on the outside, on which 
we placed our baggage and everything else available, that 
might help to protect us from the bullets of the enemy. 

Before we began this work, however, Col. Fannin made a 
short speech to the men, in which he told them "that in his 
opinion, the only way of extricating themselves from the 
difficulty they were in, was to retreat after dark to the timber 
on the Coletto, and cut their way through the enemy's lines 
should they attempt to oppose the movement." He told them 
there was no doubt they would be able to do this, as the 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 45 

enemy had evidently been greatly demoralized by the com- 
plete failure of the attack they had made upon us. He said, 
moreover, that the necessity for a speedy retreat was the 
more urgent, as it was more than probable that the Mexicans 
would be heavily reinforced during the night. He concluded 
by saying that if a majority were in favor of retreating, pre- 
parations would be made to leave as soon as it was dark 
enough to conceal our movements from the enemy. But we 
had about seventy men wounded (most of them badly) and 
as almost every one had some friend or relative among them, 
after a short consultation upon the subject, it was unanimous- 
ly determined not to abandon our wounded men, but to re- 
main with them and share their fate, whatever it might be. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Texan Loss in the Coletto Fight — Dismal Night on the 
Prairie — Three Deserters Shot by the Mexican Patrol 
— Preparations for Renewing the Fight — Hoistin 
the '^White Flag" — Col. Fannin refuses to surrender 
*'At Discretion" — Mexicans fire upon us with Artil- 
lery — White Flag again — Parley — Gen. Urrea comes 
INTO OUR Lines — Capitulation agreed upon and terms 
reduced to writing — Mexican Loss in the Fight — Mar- 
tinez the Treacherous Friend. 

Our loss in the Coletto fight was ten killed and about sev- 
enty wounded (Col. Fannin among the latter), and most of 
them badly, owing to the size of the balls thrown by the 
Mexican escopetas, and the shotguns of the Indians. The 
number of our casualities was extremely small considering 
the force of the enemy, and the duration of the fight, which 
began about three o'clock and lasted till nearly sunset. I 
can only account for it by the fact that the Mexicans were 
very poor marksmen, and that their powder was of a very in- 
ferior quality. There was scarcely a man in the whole com- 
mand who had not been struck by one or more spent balls, 
which, in place of mere bruises would have inflicted danger- 
ous or fatal wounds if the powder used by the Mexicans had 
been better. 

I can never forget how slowly the hours of that dismal 
night passed by. The distressing cri>s of our wounded men 
begging for water when there was not a drop to give them, 
were continually ringing in my ears. Even those who were 
not wounded, but were compelled to work all night in the 
trenches, suffered exceedingly with thirst. Even after we 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 47 

had fortified our position as well as we could, we had but lit- 
tle hopes of being able to defend ourselves, should the Mexi- 
cans as we apprehended, receive reinforcements during the 
night, for we had but one or two rounds of ammunition left 
for the cannon, and what remained for the small arms was 
not sufficient for a protracted struggle. 

Some time during the night it was ascertained that three of 
our men (whose names I have forgotten) had deserted, and 
shortly afterwards as a volley of musketry was heard between 
us and the timber on the Coletto, they were no doubt dis- 
covered and shot by the Mexican patrol. 

Daylight at last appeared, and before the sun had risen we 
saw that the Mexican forces were all in motion, and evident- 
ly preparing to make another attack upon us. When fairly 
out of the timber, we soon discovered that they had been 
heavily reinforced during the night. In fact, as we subse- 
quently learned from the Mexicans themselves, a detachment 
of seven hundred and fifty cavalry and an artillery company 
had joined them shortly after their retreat to the timber. In 
the fight of the previous day they had no cannon. 

They moved down upon us in four divisions, and when 
within five or six hundred yards, they unlimbered their field 
pieces (two brass nine pounders) and opened fire upon us. 
We did not return their fire, because as I have said, we had 
only one or two rounds of ammunition left for our cannon, 
and the distance was too great for small arms. Their shot, 
however, all went over us, and besides, the breast works we 
had thrown up would have protected us, even if their guns 
had been better aimed. We expected momentarily that the 
cavalry would charge us, but after firing several rounds from 
their nine pounders, an officer accompanied by a soldier 
bearing a white flag, rode out towards us, and by signs gave 
us to understand that he desired a "parley." Major Wallace 
and several other officers went out and met him about half 



48 Early Times in Texas. 

way between our **fort" and the Mexican lines. The sub- 
stance of the Mexican officer's communication (as I under- 
stood at the time) was to the effect "that Gen. Urrea, the 
commander of the Mexican forces, being anxious to avoid 
the useless shedding of blood (seeing we were now completely 
in his power), would guarantee to Col. Fannin and his men, 
on his word of honor as an officer and gentleman, that we 
would be leniently dealt with, provided we surrendered at 
discretion, without further attempt at hopeless resistance.'^ 
When this message was delivered to Col. Fannin, he sent 
word back to the officer "to say to Gen. Urrea, it was a waste 
of time to discuss the subject of surrendering at discretion — 
that he would fight as long as there was a man left to fire a 
gun before he would surrender on such terms.'' 

A little while afterwards the Mexicans again made a show 
of attacking us, but just as we were expecting them to charge. 
Gen. Urrea himself rode out in front of his lines accompan- 
ied by several of his officers and the soldier with the "white 
flag." Col. Fannin and Major Wallace went out to meet 
them, and the terms of capitulation were finally agreed upon? 
the most important of which was, that we should be held as 
prisoners of war until exchanged, or liberated on our parole 
of honor not to engage in the war again — at the option o 
the Mexican commander in chief. There were minor articles 
included in it, such as that our side arms should be retain- 
ed, etc. * 

When the terms of capitulation had been fully decided 
upon, Gen. Urrea and his secretary and interpreter came 
into our lines with Col. Fannin, where it was reduced to 
writing, and an English translation given to Col. Fannin 
which was read to our men. I am thus particular in stating 
what I know to be the facts in regard to this capitulation, 
because I have seen it stated that Gen. Santa Anna always 
asserted there was no capitulation, and that Col. Fannin sur- 



Advenhires of Jack Dobell. 49 

rendered at discretion to Gen. Urrea. This assertion I have 
no doubt was made to justify as far as possible his order for 
the cold blooded murder of disarmed prisoners. Gen. Urrea, 
I believe, never denied the fact of the capitulation, and I 
have been informed, when the order was sent him by Santa 
Anna to execute the prisoners, he refused to carry it into 
effect, and turned over the command to a subaltern. 

I have always believed myself that Gen. Urrea entered in- 
to the capitulation with Col. Fannin in good faith, and that 
the massacre of the prisoners, which took place some days 
afterwards, was by the express order of Santa Anna, and 
against the remonstratices of Gen. Urrea. If Gen. Urrea had 
intended to act treacherously, the massacre, in my opinion, 
would have taken place as soon as we had delivered up our 
arms, when we were upon an open prairie, surrounded by a 
large force of cavalry, where it would have been utterly im- 
possible for a single soul to have escaped, and consequently 
he could then have given to the world his own version of the 
affair without fear of contradiction. 

I have said nothing as yet of the Mexican loss in the fight 
and I cannot do so with any certainty, of my own knowledge; 
but there is no doubr it was much greater than ours. They 
told us after we had surrendered that we had killed and 
wounded several hundred. Dr. Joseph Barnard, our assist- 
ant surgeon, who was saved from the massacre to attend their 
wounded, told me afterwards that he was confident we had 
killed and wounded between three and four hundred, and his 
opportunities for forming a correct estimate of the number 
were certainly better than those of any one else. 

After our surrender we were marched back to Goliad, 
escorted by a large detachment of cavalry, and there con- 
fined within the walls surrounding the old mission. 

Among the Mexican officers there was a lieutenant by the 
name of Martinez, who had been educated at a Catholic 



^0 Early Times in Texas. 

> 

college in Kentucky, where he had been a room-mate of a 

member of Capt. D 's company, by the name of B . 

Every day whilst we were prisoners he used to come and talk 

with B , and professed his great regret to find him in such 

a situation, but he never gave him the slightest intimation of 
the treacherous designs of the Mexicans, nor, as far as I 
know, made the least effgrt to save his college room-mate. 



CHAPTEE VIII 

Major Ward and his Battalion brought to Goliad — Also 
Capt. Miller and his men — Confined in the Old Mis- 
sion — Mexican Soldier astonished — Tyranical Officer 
— An Officer trys to make a good Catholic of me, but 
fails — Ordered to Copano — Marched out in Three 
Divisions — The Massacre — I narrowly escape the Bay- 
onet, swim the river and halt upon the opposite side. 

A day or so after our return as prisoners to Goliad, Maj. 
Ward and his battalion, or rather those who survived the en- 
gagement they had with the Mexicans, near Refugio, were 
brought in and confined with us, within the walls enclosing 
the old mission; and also a company of about eighty men 
under the command of Maj. Miller, who had been surprised 
and captured at Copano just after they had landed from their 
vessel. These men were also confined with us, but kept sep- 
arate from the rest, and to distinguish them, each had a white 
cloth tied around one of his arms. At the time, I had no 
idea why this was done, but subsecjuently I learned the 
reason. 

The morning of the sixth day after our return to Goliad, 
whether the Mexicans suspected we intended to rise upon the 
guard, or whether they merely wished to render^our situation 
as uncomfortable as possible, I know not, ^but at any rate 
from that time we were confined in the old mission, where we 
were so crowded we had hardly room to lie down at night. 
Our rations too, about that time, had been reduced to five 
ounces of fresh beef a day, which we had to cook in the best 
way we could and eat without salt. 

Although, thus closely confined and half starved, no person- 



52 Early Times in Texas. 

al indignity was ever offered to us to my knowledge, except 
on two occasions. Once a Mexican soldier pricked one of 
our men with his bayonet, because he did not walk quite fast 
enough to suit him, whereupon he turned and knocked the 
Mexican down with his fist. I fully expected to see him rough- 
ly handled for this "overt act," but the officer in command of 
the guard, who saw the affair, came up to him and patting 
him on the shoulder, told him he was "muy bravo," and that 
he had served the soldier exactly right. At another time one 
of our men was complaining to the officer of the guard of 
the ration issued to him, who ordered one of the soldiers to 
collect a quantity of bones and other offal lying around, and 
throwing them on the ground before the man, said, "There, 
eat as much as you want— good enough for Gringoes and 
heretics." 

One day an officer who was passing, asked me some ques- 
tion in Spanish, and when I answered him in Spanish, he took 
a seat by me, and talked with me for some time. He asked 
me a great many questions about the United States, our form 
of government, the number of our regular army, what State 
1 came from and what induced me to come to Texas, etc., to 
all of which I frankly answered. He expressed much aston- 
ishment at the correctness of my pronunciation, and. asked 
where I had learned to speak Spanish, saying he was sure I 
had not learnt the language among the Mexicans. I told him 
I had studied Spanish under a teacher of modern languages 
at a Catholic institution in Kentucky. He then asked if I was 
a Catholic myself, and when I told him I was not, he seemed 
disappointed, and tried in various ways to get some sort of 
admission from me that I had more faith in the Catholic re- 
ligion than any other. 

The talk I had with this officer made but little impression 
upon me at the time, but I have since thought on account of 
my youth, or because I had in some way gained his favor, he 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 53 

was desirous of an excuse or pretext to save me from the fate 
he probably knew was in store for us. I know that several 
of our men were saved from the massacre, for no other rea- 
son that I am aware of, than that they J>ro/esssd to be members 
of the Catholic church. Several times afterwards the officer 
above mentioned came to talk with me, and he insisted I was 
a Catholic if I would but own it; but I strenuously denied 
''the soft impeachment" to the last. If I had suspected his 
object in getting me to admit that I was a Catholic, it is 
probable I might have sought temporal as well as eternal safety 
the bosom of the church. It would have been very easy for 
me to have passed for a "good Catholic," for Catholicism (at 
least among the lower class of Mexicans) consists mainly in 
knowing how to make the sign of the cross, together with 
unbounded reverence first, for the Virgin Mary, and secondly, 
for the saints generally — and the priests. But I did not sus- 
pect the object this officer had in view when he tried to make 
a convert of me to the true faith, and I am afraid I have lost 
the only chance I shall ever have of becoming a "good 
Catholic." 

On the morning of the 27th of March,- a Mexican officer 
came to us and ordered us to get ready for a march. He 
told us we were to be liberated on "parole," and that arrange- 
ments had been made to send us to New Orleans on board of 
vessels then at Copano. This, you may be sure, was joyful 
news to us, and we lost no time in making preparations to 
leave our uncomfortable quarters. When all was ready we 
were formed into three divisions and marched out under a 
strong guard. As we passed by some Mexican women who 
were standing near the main entrance to the fort, I heard 
them say "pobrecitos" (poor fellows), but the incident at the 
time made but little impression on my mind. 

One of our divisions was taken down the road leading to 
the lower ford of the river, one upon the road to San Patricio, 



54 Early Times in Texas. 

and the division to which my company was attached, along 
the road leading to San Antonio. A strong guard accompan- 
ied us, marching in double files on both sides of our column. 
It occurred to me that this division of our men into three 
squads, and marching us off in three directions, was rather 
a singular maneuver, but still I had no suspicion of the foul 
play intended us. When about half a mile above town, a 
halt was made and the guard on the side next the river filed 
around to the opposite side. Hardly had this maneuver been 
executed, when I heard a heavy firing of musketry in the 
directions taken by the other two divisions. Some one near 
me exclaimed "Boys! they are going to shoot us!" and at the 
same instant I heard the clicking of musket locks all along 
the Mexican line. I turned to look, and as I did so, the 
Mexicans fired upon us, killing probably one hundred out of 
the one hundred and fifty men in the division. We were in 
double file and I was in the rear rank. The man in front of 
me was shot dead, and in falling he knocked me down. I 
did not get up for a moment, and when I rose to my feet, I 
found that the whole Mexican line had charged over me, and 
were in hot pursuit of those who had not been shot and who 
were fleeing towards the river about five hundred yards dis- 
tant. I followed on after them, for I knew that escape in 
any other direction (all open prairie) would be impossible, 
and I had nearly reached the river before it became necessa- 
ry to make my way through the Mexican line ahead. As I 
did so, one of the soldiers charged upon me with his bayonet 
(his gun I suppose being empty). As he drew his musket 
back to make a lunge at me, one of our men coming from 
another direction, ran between us, and the bayonet was 
driven through his body. The blow was given with such 
force, that in falling, the man probably wrenched or tiwsted 
the bayonet in such a way as to prevent the Mexican from 
withdrawing it immediately. I saw him put his foot upon 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 55 

the man, and make an ineffectual attempt to extricate the 
bayonet from his body, but one look satisfied me, as I was 
somewhat in a hurry just then, and I hastened to the bank 
of the river and plunged in. The river at that point was 
deep and swift, but not wide, and being a good swimmer, I 
soon gained the opposite bank, untouched by any of the bul- 
lets that were pattering in the water around my head. But 
here I met with an unexpected difficulty. The bank on that 
side was so steep I found it was impossible to climb it, 
and I continued to swim down the river until I came to 
where a grape vine hung from the bough of a leaning tree 
nearly to the surface of the water. This I caught hold of 
and was climbing up it hand over hand, sailor fashion, when 
a Mexican on the opposite bank fired at me with his escope- 
ta, and with so true an aim, that he cut the vine in two just 
above my head, and down I came into the water again. I 
then swam on about a hundred yards further, when I came to 
a place where the bank was not quite so steep, and with some 
difficulty I managed to clamber up.* 



OHAPTEK IX. 

Headed off by a party of Lancers — Witness the murder 

OF FIVE OR SIX of OUR MEN — DODGE THE LaNCERS AND 

finally escape — Hide in grove of timber till night — 
Execution of Col. Fannin — Wonderful Escape of Wm. 
Hunter. 

The river on the north side was bordered by timber sev- 
eral hundred yards in width, through which I quickly passed 

and I was just about to leave it and strike out into the open 
prairie, when I discovered a party of lancers nearly in front 

of me, sitting on their horses, and evidently stationed there 

to intercept any one who should attempt to escape in that 

direction, I halted at once under cover of the timber, 

through which I could see the lancers in the open prairie, 

but which hid me entirely from their view. 

Whilst I was thus waiting and undecided as to the best 
course to pursue under the circumstances, I saw a young man 
by the name of HoUiday, one of my own messmates, passing 
through the timber above me in a course that would have 
taken him out at the point directly opposite to which the 
lancers were stationed. I called to him as loudly as I dared* 
and fortunately, being on the '^qui vive," he heard me, and 
stopped far enough within the timber to prevent the lancers 
from discovering him. I then pulled off a fur cap I had on, 
and beckoned to him with it. Th^s finally drew his attention 
to me, and as soon as he saw me he came to where I was 
standing, from whence, without being visible to them, the 
lancers could be plainly seen. 

A few moments afterwards we were joined by a young man 
by the name of Brown, from Georgia, who had just swam the 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 57 

river, and had accidentally stumbled on the place where 
Holliday and I were holding a ^^council of war" as to what 
was the best course to pursue. Holliday, although a brave 
man, was very much excited, and had lost to some extent his 
presence of mind, for he proposed we should leave the tim- 
ber at once and take the chances of evading the lancers we 
saw on the prairie. I reasoned with him on the folly of such 
a proceeding, and told him it would be impossible for us to 
escape in the open prairie from a dozen men on horseback. 
"But," said Holliday, "the Mexicans are crossing the river 
behind us, and they will soon be here." ''That may be," I 
replied, ''but they are not here yet, and in the mean time 
something may turn up to favor our escape." Brown took 
the same view of the case I did, and Holliday's wild propo- 
sition to banter a dozen mounted men for a race on the open 
prairie was "laid upon the table." 

Whilst we were debating this (to us) momentous question, 
some four or five of our men passed out of the timber before 
we saw them, into the open prairie, and when they discovered 
the lancers it was to late. The lancers charged upon them 
at once, speared them to death, and then dismounting robbed 
them of such things as they had upon their persons. From 
where we stood the whole proceeding was plainly visible to 
us, and as may be imagined, it was not calculated to encour- 
age any hopes we might have had of making our escape. 
However, after the lancers had plundered the men they had 
just murdered, they remounted, and in a few moments set off 
in a rapid gallop down the river to where it is probable they 
had discovered other fugitives coming out of the timber. 
We at once seized the opportunity thus afforded us to leave 
the strip of timber which we knew could give us shelter but 
for a few moments longer, and started out, taking advantage 
of a shallow ravine which partially hid us from view. We 
had scarcly gone two hundred yards from the timber, when 



58 Early Times in Texas. 

we saw the lancers gallop back and take up their position at 
the same place they had previously occupied. Strange to- 
say, however, they never'observed us, although we were in 
plain view of them for more than a quarter of a mile, without 
a single brush or tree to screen us. 

We traveled about five or six miles and stopped in a thick 
grove to rest ourselves, where we staid until night. All day 
long we heard at intervals irregular discharges of musketry 
in the distance, indicating, as we supposed, where fugitives 
from the massacre were overtaken and shot by the pursuing 
parties of Mexicans. 

As the undergrowth was pretty dense in the grove where 
we had stopped, we concluded the chances of being picked 
up by one of these pursuing parties would be greater if we 
traveled on than if we remained where we were, and we de- 
termined to "lie by" until night. In talking the matter over 
and reflecting upon the many narrow risks we had run in 
making our escape, we came to the conclusion that in all 
probability we were the only survivors of the hundreds wha 
had that morning been led out to slaughter ; although in fact 
as we subsequently learned, twenty-five or thirty of our men 
eventually reached the settlements on the Brazos. Drs. 
Shackleford and Barnard, our surgeons, were saved from the 
massacre to attend upon Mexicans wounded in the fight on the 
Coletto, and when their forces retreated from Goliad after 
the battle of San Jacinto these were taken to San Antonio, 
where they were ultimately liberated. Our own wounded 
men, or rather those of them that survived up to the time of 
the massacre, were carried out into the open square of the 
fort, and there cruelly butchered by the guard. Capt. Miller 
and his men were saved, because, as I was subsequently in- 
formed, they had been captured soon after they landed from 
their vessel, without any arms, and of course without making 
any resistance. 



Adveniures of Jack Dohell. 59 

Col. Fannin, who was confined to his quarters by a wound 
he had received at the fight on the Coletto, soon after the 
massacre of his men, was notified to prepare for immediate 
execution. He merely abserved that he was ready then, as 
he had no desire to live after the cold-blooded, cowardly 
murder of his men. He was thereupon taken out to the 
square by a guard, where he was seated on a bench, and his 
eyes blindfolded. A moment before the order to "fire" was 
given^ I was told (though I cannot vouch for the truth of the 
statement) he drew a fine gold watch from his pocket, and 
handing it to the officer in command of the guard, requested 
him as a last favor to order his men to shoot him in the 
breast and not in the head. The officer took the watch, and 
immediately ordered the guard to fire at his head. Col. Fan- 
nin fell dead and his body was thrown into one of the ravines 
near the fort. Thus died as brave a son of Georgia as ever 
came from that noble old State. 

The escape of Wm. Hunter was most wonderful. At the 
first fire he fell pierced by a musket ball. A Mexican soldier 
thinking he was not quite dead, cut his throat with a butcher 
knife, but not deep enough to sever the jugular vein, stabbed 
him with his bayonet, and then beat him over the head with 
the breech of his musket, until he was satisfied his bloody 
work was accomplished. He then stripped him of his cloth- 
ing and left him for dead upon the ground where he had 
fallen. Hunter laid there in a perfectly unconscious state until 
dark, but after night came on, the cool air and dew revived 
him, and by degrees he regained his senses. For a time all 
that had occurred since morning appeared like a troubled 
dream to him, but gradually the reality of the events that 
had taken place forced itself upon his mind, and he cau- 
tiously raised his head to reconnoitre. All was still around, 
and not a moving, living creature was visible, nothing but 
the pallid upturned faces of his murdered comrades dimly 



60 Early Times in Texas. 

seen in the waning light of day. He found himself extremely 
weak from loss of blood, and his limbs were sore and stiff- 
ened; but he was suffering intensely from thirst, and he re- 
solved, if possible, to drag himself to the river. With much 
pain and difficulty, he succeeded in reaching the water, and 
after quenching his thirst, he bound up his wounds as well as 
he could with strips of cloth torn from his shirt. 

Before daylight he had recovered his strength so far that 
he was able to swim the river, and took his way to a Mexican 
ranch on the Manahuila creek, with the people of which he 
had had some previous acquaintance, thinking it was better 
to trust himself to their tender mercies than to attempt to 
travel through a wilderness in his wounded and weakened 
condition. 

When near the ranch he met a Mexican woman, who told 
him he would certainly be killed if he went there. She ad- 
vised him to secrete himself in a thicket she designated, and 
told him as soon as it was dark she would come out to him 
and bring him some food and clothing. Hunter had his 
suspicions that she intended to betray him, yet there was no 
alternative but to trust her, and he hid himself in the thicket 
she had pointed out to him, and anxiously awaited her reap- 
pearance. True to her promise, a little while after dark, she 
returned, bringing some provisions and water, together with 
a suit of Mexican clothes. 

For nearly a week this Mexican woman came to his place 

of concealment every night, fed him and dressed his wounds 

until he was sufficiently restored to travel. She then sup- 
plied him with as much provisions as he could carry and also 
a flint and steel for making fire, and bidding him "adios" she 
returned to the ranch. 

Thus recruited and supplied with clothing and provisions, 
Hunter took his course through the wilderness, and having a 
pretty good idea of the "lay of the land," after many narrow 
escapes he eventually made his way to the Texan army under 
General Houston." 



CHAPTER X. 

Take the Road Again — Indian Sign — Narrow Escape from 
Lancers — Suffering From Hunger — Lost and take the 
Back Trail — Return Nearly to Goliad — Make a Fresh 
Start and Holliday Takes the Lead and Again Goes 
Wrong — I Rebel — Disagreement in Camp, Compromise, 
AND I Finally Lead the Way. 

As soon as it was dark we left our hiding place and set out 
in a northeasterly direction, as nearly as we could determine, 
and traveled until daylight, when we stopped an hour or so in 
a grove to rest. We then proceded on our course again till 
near sunset, when we encamped in a thick "mot" of timber 
without water. An unusually cold norther for the season of 
the year was blowing, and a steady drizzling rain was falling 
when we stopped. Brown, who had pulled ojEf his coat and 
shoes before he swam the San Antonio river, suffered severely, 
and I was apprehensive, should we be exposed all night to 
such weather without a fire, that he would freeze to death. I 
had a little tinder box in my pocket containing a flint and 
steel, but all the tinder there was in it was a small piece not 
much larger than a pin head. 

This I carefully placed on a batch of cotton taken from the 
lining of my fur cap, and after many unsuccessful efforts I 
managed at last to ignite it. With this we started a fire, and 
then the first thing I did was to tear off a portion from ray 
drawers, which I partially burned, thus securing a good sup- 
ply of tinder for future use. Before going to sleep we col- 
lected fuel enough to last until daylight, with which we occa- 
sionally replenished the fire so that we passed the night in 
tolerable comfort. 



62 Early Times in Texas. 

The next morning Brown, who as I have previously stated, 
had pulled off his coat and shoes and thrown them away 
when he swam the river, found himself so sore and crippled 
he was unable to travel. The prairie we had passed over the 
day before, had been recently burned off and the sharp 
points of the stubble had lacerated his naked feet dreadfully. 
It was evident he could not go on without some sort of cov- 
ering for his feet. I cut off the legs of my boots, and with a 
pair of scissors which he happened to have in his pocket, 
and some twine, I contrived to make him a pair of sandals, 
such as I had seen worn by Mexican soldiers. After thus 
shoeing him (by way of remuneration, I suppose,) Brown sep- 
arated the two blades of the scissors and gave me one of 
them, which was of great service to me, for by whetting it on 
stones I gave it an edge, and it answered pretty well in place 
of a knife. 

The grove of timber in which we had passed the night, 
covered perhaps an acre of ground, and just outside of it 
there was a strip of sandy soil almost bare of grass. In the 
morning when we left the grove we. observed a good many 
fresh mocassin tracks which must have been made during the 
night by a party of Indians, who probably had been drawn 
to the locality by the light from our fire. Why they did not 
attack us I cannot imagine, unless it was because they were 
ignorant of our number and that we were without arms. At 
any rate, but for their tracks in the sand we would not have 
known they had been around our camp during the night. 

The next morning we set out, as we supposed, in the direc- 
tion we had traveled the day before, and in about one hour 
we came to some timber, bordering upon what I thought was 
one of the branches of the Coletto creek. Here we laid 
ourselves down on the grass to rest for a few moments, and 
scarcely had we done so when a party of ten Mexican lan- 
cers made their appearance, riding along a trail that ran 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 63 

within fifty yards of where we were lying. As luck would 
have it, just as they came opposite to where we were, they 
met another soldier and stopped to have a talk with him. For 
nearly an hour, it seemed to me, but in fact, I suppose, for 
only a few minutes, they sat on their horses conversing to- 
gether within a few paces of where we were lying, and without 
a single bush or tree intervening to hide us from their view, 
but fortunately they never looked toward us or we would in- 
evitably have been discovered. At length they rode on, arid 
we were very glad when we lost sight of them behind a point 
■of timber. 

The weather still continued cloudy and drizzly, and not 
being able to see the sun we had nothing to guide us, and in 
consequence were doubtful as to whether or not we were pur- 
suing the right course. However, we traveled on until night, 
and again encamped in a thick grove of timber. Having 
eaten nothing since we left Goliad, and only a small piece of 
beef for two days previously, we had begun to suffer severely 
from the pangs of hunger. Game we had everywhere seen in 
the greatest abundance, but having no guns, the sight of 
herds of deer and flocks of wild turkeys, suggestive as they 
were to our minds of juicy steaks and roasts, only served to 
aggravate the cravings of our appetite. It was at a season 
of the year, too, when no berries or wild fruits were to be 
found, and the pecans and other nuts had fallen and been 
-destroyed by wild hogs, deer and other animals. But in 
5pite of our hunger we slept pretty well on our beds of dry 
leaves, except that we were occasionally aroused from our 
slumbers by the howling of wolves, which were sometimes so 
impudent as to approach within a few paces of the fire about 
which we were lying. 

In the morning the weather was still cloudy and cold, and 
we set out again upon our travels. Holliday being by several 
years the oldest of our party, had heretofore taken the lead 



64 Early Times in Texas. 

to which Brown and I had made no opposition, but after an 
hour or so I was convinced he was leading us in the wrong 
direction, and in this opinion I was confirmed when in a little 
while we came to a creek I was pretty sure was the Manahui- 
la, the same we had crossed the day after leaving Goliad. I 
told Holliday I was confident he was taking the back track, 
but he thought not, and so we kept on until toward evening, 
when we came to several groves of live oak timber which I 
aemembered having seen when hunting in the vicinity of Go- 
liad. Holliday, however, had but little faith in my recollec- 
tions of the locality, and proposed that Brown and myself 
should wait in one of these groves until he reconnoitered the 
country ahead, and we consented to do so. 

In about an hour he returned and told us that he had 
been in sight of Goliad, and that he had ditinctly heard the 
beating of drums and the bugle calls of cavalry in the town. 
We felt very much discouraged, as may well be supposed, to 
find ourselves, after traveling so long, almost at the same 
point we had started from; but it was useless to repine, and 
we set out again in "the right direction, Holliday, as usual, 
leading the way. After an hour or so I found that Holliday 
was gradually turning his course toward Goliad again. Time 
with us was too precious to be wasted. I came to a halt and 
told Holliday I would follow him no farther. He insisted he 
was going the right direction, and I as positively that he was 
going directly contrary to the course we ought to pursue. 
He was obstinate, and so was I. Holliday, I knew, had been 
born and raised in a city whilst I had lived the greater part 
of my life on the frontier, and had been accustomed to the 
woods ever since I was old enough to carry a gun. Besides, 
I knew that I possessed to a considerable degree what fron- 
tiersmen call "hog-knowledge, '' by which is meant a kind of 
instinctive knowledge that enables some people to steer their 
way through pathless woods and prairies without a compass 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 65 

or any landmarks to guide them. I therefore told Holliday, 
if he persisted in traveling in the direction he was going, we 
would certainly have to part company, although I was very 
loath to do so under the circumstances. Thereupon and with- 
out further parley I turned and took the opposite course to 
the one we had been traveling. Brown, who made no pre- 
tensions to being a woodman, followed me, for the reason, I 
suppose, that he had lost confidence in Holliday as a guide, 
and thought possibly I might do better. Holliday remained 
standing where we had left him, apparently undetermined 
what to do, until we had gone perhaps a hundred yards, when 
he turned and followed us. As he came up he merely said 
that he would rather go wrong than part company, and no 
allusion afterwards was made to the subject, — but from that 
time on I always took the lead as a matter of course. 

Recrossing the Manahuila creek, and night coming on 
shortly afterwards, we encamped by the side of a pool of wa- 
ter in a thick ''island" of timber. By this time we were suf- 
fering greatly with hunger, nevertheless I slept soundly 
through the night, although in my slumbers I was constantly 
tantalized by dreams of juicy steaks, hot biscuits and butter, 
etc., which always mysteriously disappeared when I attempted 
to "grab" them. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Great Suffering from Hunger — " Turks Heads " a Sub- 
stitute FOR Water — Reach the Guadalupe River — Un- 
successful Attempt to get Veal Steaks, p>ut Caught 
THE Pigs and ate Five for Supper — Indians — Mexican 
Lion. 

The next morning we again took our course a9ross the 
prairie, but owing to the rank growth of grass with which in 
many parts it was covered, and our increasing weakness, our 
progress was slow and painful. On the way, Holliday found 
about a dozen wild onions, which he divided with Brown and 
myself; but the quantity for each was so small that it seemed 
only to aggravate the pangs of hunger. During the day, we 
saw in the distance several parties of Mexicans or Indians, 
we could not tell which, as they only came near enough for 
us to see that they were men on horseback. 

That night we again encamped in a strip of woods border- 
ing a small creek, but we slept very little on account of our 
sufferings from hunger, which had now become excrutiating. 
The next morning Brown was so weak he could scarcely 
walk two hundred yards without stopping to rest, neverthe- 
less we went on as fast as we could travel. A part of the way 
was over high rolling prairie, on which no water could be 
found, and the pangs of thirst were added to those of hunger, 
until alleviated by the juice of some "Turks heads" which 
we found growing on the top of a pebbly knoll. These plants 
are, I believe, a species of the cactus, about the size of a 
large turnip, grow on top of the ground, and are protected on 
the outside by a number of tough, horny prickles. The in- 
side is filled with a spongy substance, which when pressed 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 67 

yields a quantity of tasteless juice that answers as a tolerable 
substitute for water. 

The evening of the fifth day after leaving Goliad, we de- 
scried a long line of timber ahead of us, and just before sun- 
set we came to a large stream, which Irom my knowledge of 
the geography of the country I was sure must be the Guada- 
lupe. At the point where we struck it, the prairie extended 
up to the bank, which was high and very steep. A few hun- 
dred yards above us we saw a cow and her calf grazing near 
the edge of the bluff, and approaching them cautiously we 
attempted to drive them over it, hopins; that one or the other 
would be disabled or killed by the fall, but after several in- 
effectual efforts to force them to take the leap, they finally 
broke through our line and made their way^to the prairie, 
taking with them some steaks we stood very much in need of. 

Completely exhausted by our exertions, and suffering ex- 
tremely from hunger, we looked around for a suitable place 
to camp, as it was now nearly night, and coming to a pit or 
sink twelve or fourteen feet deep, which would protect us 
from the cold wind blowing at the time, we built a fire at the 
bottom, laid down upon the leaves, and in a little while we 
all went to sleep. How long I had slept I do not know, but 
I was at length aroused from my slumbers by a rattling 
among the sticks and dry leaves above me, and looking up I 
discovered a wild sow with her litter of pigs coming down 
the almost perpendicular bank of the sink. I silently grasped 
a billet of wood lying near me, and awaited their approach. 
The old sow came on, totally unsuspicious that three raven- 
ous chaps were occupying her bed at the bottom (for by this 
time our fire had burnt out), and when she and her pigs were 
in striking distance I suddenly sprang up and began a vigor- 
ous assault upon the pigs. The noise aroused Brown and 
Holliday, and comprehending at once the state of affairs 
they sprang to my assistance, and before the sow and her 



68 Early Times in Texas* 

pigs could make their escape up the steep sides of the pit we 
had "bagged " five of the latter. We made a desperate at- 
tack on the old sow also, but weak as we were from starva- 
tion, and with our inefficient weapons, she routed us com- 
pletely, leaving us however in possession of the field and the 
"spoils of war." We immediately started our fire again, and 
with no other preparation than a slight roasting on the coals, 
enough to singe off" their hair, we very expediously disposed 
of the ^z^i? pigs we had killed — nearly a pig and a half for 
each one, but then you must remember that they were small 
sucking pigs, and that we had not had a mouthful to eat for 
five days except a handful of wild onions. Greatly refreshed 
by our supper of scorched pig, we laid down again upon the 
leaves at the bottom of the sink, and slept soundly until the 
sun was an hour or so high. 

As soon as we awoke, we left the sink and went out to 
make a reconnoisance of the river, to see what the chances 
were for crossing it. Though not very wide at that point, 
we soon perceived we had a difficult job to undertake, for the 
river was much swollen by recent rains, and its turbid waters 
were rushing along at a rapid rate. Holliday and I were 
both good swimmers, and I felt sure we could reach the op- 
posite bank safely; but I had my doubts about Brown. He 
was a poor swimmer, and consequently was timid in water. 
However, there was no alternative but to make the attempt, 
and we therefore stripped off our clothes, tied them in a 
bundle on our heads to keep them as dry as possible, and 
plunged in the turbid flood, Holliday and I soon reached 
the opposite bank, but hardly had we done so when I heard 
Brown cry out for help, and looking back I saw that he was 
still some distance from the shore, and evidently just on the 
eve of going under. At the very point where I landed there 
happened to be a slab of dry timber lying near the water, 
which I instantly seized, and swimming with it to the place 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 69 

where Brown was struggling to keep his head above the sur- 
face, I pushed the end of the slab to him, which he grasped 
and to which he held on with the usual tenacity of a drown- 
ing man, and with the assistance of Holliday I at last got him 
to the shore and dragged him out of the water. It was very 
fortunate for Brown that Holliday and I, between us, had 
taken his clothes, as otherwise no doubt he would have lost 
them all. 

Continuing our course, we passed through a heavily^tim- 
bered bottom more than a mile wide, and then came to a 
large prairie in which we saw many herds of deer and some 
antelopes. The antelope is a beautiful animal about the size 
of a deer, but much more fleet. They do not run as deer do, 
by springs or bounds, but evenly, like the horse. Their 
horns consist of two curved shafts, with a single prong to 
each. A man on a good saddle horse can easily overtake a 
fat deer on the prairie, but it vy^ould require a thorough bred 
racer with a light rider to come up with an antelope. 

We also saw to-day a party of Indians on horses, but we 
eluded them by concealing ourselves in some tall grass that 
grew in the bottom of a ravine. About dusk we came to the 
timber on the farther side of the prairie, in which we en- 
camped under the spreading branches of a live oak tree. 

Next morning we continued our route, and after passing 
through some open post oak woods, we came to a small 
stream not more than knee deep, and of course easily forded. 
Crossing this stream, we went through more post oak woods, 
and then entered another large prairie, and it was late in the 
evening, owing to the difficulty of making our way through 
tall and tangled grass, before we reached the timber on the 
opposite side, where we encamped in a little open space sur- 
rounded by a dense growth of underwood. Here we made a 
fire, and slept soundly till morning. 

As soon as daylight appeared we were off again, and pass- 



TO Early Times iu Texas* 

ing through a skirt of woods we came to another small stream, 
which was also fordable. Crossing it, we entered a large 
prairie, on the opposite side of which a long line of timber 
was dimly visible in the distance. All day long, stopping 
occasionally to rest, we toiled through the matted grass 
with which this prairie was covered, and just at sunset we 
came to the woods we had seen, where we encamped near a 
pool of water. Whilst collecting a supply of fuel for the 
night, I came upon a heap of brush and leaves, and scraping 
off the top to see what was beneath, I discovered about half 
the carcass of a deer which apparently had been recently 
killed and partly eaten by a panther or Mexican lion, and the 
remainder ''cached" in this heap for future use. Of course, 
under the circumstances, I had no scruples about appropriat- 
ing the venison, and calling Brown and Holliday to my as- 
sistance we carried it to camp, where, after cutting off the 
ragged and torn portions of the meat, we soon had the bal- 
ance spitted before a blazing fire. After making a hearty 
supper on our stolen venison, we raked a quantity of dry 
leaves close to the fire and "turned into bed." 

During the night, at various times, we heard the roaring of 
a Mexican lion (very probably the lawful owner of the larder 
that had supplied us with supper), and for fear he might be 
disposed to make a meal of one of us in place of venison, we 
took good care not to let our fire burn down too low. There 
is no animal, I believe, on the American continent, with the 
exception of the grizzly bear, that has ever been known to at- 
tack a man sleeping near a fire. The Mexican lion is, I think, 
described in books of natural history under the name of puma 
or South American lion. They are of a tawny or dun color, 
about the size of the East Indian tiger, have a large round 
head and a short mane upon the neck. Their nails are very" 
long, sharp and crooked — coming to an edge on the inner 
side — as keen as that of a knife. Their roar is very similar 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 71 

to that of the African lion. They are fierce and strong, but 
cowardly; although when pressed by hunger, they have been 
known to attack men in open daylight. One instance of this 
comes within my own knowledge. Several teamsters, with 
their wagons, were traveling the road from San Antonio to 
Victoria, and a teamster needing a staff for his ox whip, went 
to a thicket eighty or a hundred yards from the road to cut 
one; whilst occupied in cutting down a small sapling with his 
pocket knife, a Mexican lion stealthily crawled up behind 
him and sprang upon him before he was aware of its pres- 
ence. The man's cries for help were heard by one of 
the teamsters, who hurried to his assistance. The only thing 
he had in the shape of a weapon was his ox whip, but with 
that he boldly attacked the lion, which, frightened by his ap- 
proach and the loud popping of the whip, let go its prey and 
made a rapid retreat, but the poor fellow he had caught was 
dreadfully bitten and torn, and it was a long time before his 
wounds were healed. The Mexican lion is now rarely seen 
in Texas except among the dense chapparals between the 
Nueces and Rio Grande rivers. 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Lavaca river — Mexican marauders — Brown and my- 
self TEMPORARILY CAPTURED — ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE — I SUC- 
CEED BUT Brown is recaptured — I pass a lonely night 
IN the Lavaca bottom —take the prairie again solitary 
and alone — sleep once more under a roof. 

As soon as it was fairly light we again started, and passing 
through a heavily timbered bottom, came to the Lavaca or 
Cow river, a small stream about thirty yards wide where we 
struck it. In going through the bottom we noticed several 
piles of rails and some clapboards, the first indications we 
had seen of settlements since we left Goliad. We also saw a 
drove of hogs in the bottom, which confirmed us in the opin- 
ion that there had been an American settlement somewhere 
in the vicinity. These hogs were of the genuine '^razorback" 
species, and as wild and fleet as deer; consequently, although 
our hunger was almost as pressing as ever, we did not care 
to exhaust our strength in what we knew would be a hopeless 
attempt to capture one of them. 

We swam the river without difficulty, and stopped an hour 
or so on the bank to rest ourselves and dry our clothes. We 
then went on, but as the bottom on that side was very wide, 
and the day being cloudy, we lost our way and it was nearly 
sunset when we reached the open prairie. A few hundred 
yards bdow where we came out of the timber we observed 
ten or a dozen horses '^staked," and, on approaching them, 
we heard people talking in the woods near by. I advised an 
immediate retreat from the locality, but for some reason Hol- 
liday came to the conclusion that the horses belonged to a 
company of Texan scouts, and proposed that we conceal our- 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 73 

selves in a clump of bushes from whence we could see any- 
one who might come to look after them and thus satisfy our- 
selves without running any risk as to whether the owners were 
Americans or Mexicans. Holliday's counsel prevailed, and 
Brown and I hid ourselves in a small bunch of bushes and 
Holliday in another. A dog which was at the camp, all this 
time kept up an incessant barking, and probably it aroused 
the suspicions of the owners that some one was trying to steal 
their horses; at any rate, in a few moments after we had hid- 
den ourselves, a strapping "ranchero" came out of the tim- 
ber, and when he had looked to see if the horses had been 
disturbed in any way, he came as straight as he could walk 
to the bunch of bushes in which Brown and myself had taken 
our position and was just on the eve of entering it when he 
saw us. He instantly sprang back exclaiming, "Hey! Amer- 
icanos! What are you doing here? Do you want to steal our 
horses?" He then made signs for us to follow him, which we 
did, knowing that resistance, weak as we were and without 
arms, would be useless, and that one shout from the ranchero 
would bring those in camp to his assistance. Holliday, as I 
have said, was concealed in a separate clump of bushes, and, 
keeping quiet, the ranchero did not discover him. Brown 
and I got up and followed him, but I was fully determined 
from the start not to follow him as far as his camp. I saw 
that his course would take him very close at one point to the 
timbered bottom, and as we went along Brown and I agreed 
upon a plan to escape from our captor, which was to follow 
him quietly until near the- timber, and then suddenly ''break 
ranks" and get under cover as speedily as possible. Then 
we were to take different directions and meet at the same 
place the next morning. The ranchero, although he could 
plainly see that Brown and I were unarmed, kept some paces 
ahead of us all the time, every now and then looking back to 
see if we were following. Before Brown and I separated I 

5 



74: . Early Times in Texas. 

told him I would meet him at the Mexican camp the next 
morning, as it was probable they would leave it before we 
could return there. 

In pursuance of our plan, as soon as we came very close to 
the edge of the timber, we suddenly left our ranchero with- 
out even saying "adios,'' and in a moment we were hidden 
from his sight by the dense undergrowth. When we thus so 
unceremoniously left our new acquaintance we were so near 
the camp that we could plainly hear the rancheros convers- 
ing with each other, and the moment we made a "break'* our 
escort shouted to his companions to hasten to his assistance. 
'*Here are Americans, come quick and bring your guns," but 
just at this juncture Brown and I had some little matters of 
our own that required immediate despatch, and we did not 
wait for the Mexicans "to come and bring their guns with 
them." Brown went one way and I another as soon as we 
entered the timber, and I never saw him again until several 
weeks afterwards when he came to the army on the Brazos. 

The sun had just set when we entered the timber, and night 
soon set in dark and cloudy. After going perhaps a mile, I 
concluded it would be impossible for the Mexicans to find 
me and I pitched ^my camp, which was speedily done by 
pitching myself on the ground at the fool of a tree on which 
there was a thick growth of Spanish moss, that served to pro- 
tect me in a measure from a drizzling rain that commenced 
falling. I did not dare to start a fire for fear the light from 
it might bring the Mexicans to the locality, should they be in 
pursuit. 

I had never felt so despondent since making my escape 
from Goliad as I did that night. My separation from my 
companions, my uncertainty as to their fate, the thought of 
my helpless situation, without arms of any kind to protect 
myself against the attacks of wild beasts and still more mer- 
ciless Mexicans and Indians, together with the mournful 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 75 

howling of wolves in the distance, all conspired to fill my 
mind with gloomy forebodings and anticipations. However, 
notwithstanding such unpleasant thoughts,^and surroundings, 
I soon fell asleep and slept soundly until morning. 

When I awoke day was beginning to break, birds were sing- 
ing and squirrels chattering in the trees. The rain had ceas- 
ed, and after brushing off the damp leaves that adhered to my 
clothes, my toilet was made, and I started back in the direc- 
tion of the place where Brown and I had separated. I came 
out of the bottom very near the place where I had entered it 
the evening before, but no living thing was visible on the 
prairie as far as I could see, except some herds of deer and 
a flock of wild turkeys. I proceeded cautiously along the 
edge of the timber until I came to where the Mexicans had 
staked their horses. They were gone, and hearing no sounds 
from the woods in which they had camped, I ventured in to 
reconnoitre. Their fires were still burning, but the camp was 
deserted and there^was nothing left to indicate the probable 
fate of my companions. 

I was exceedingly hungry, and I searched the camp close- 
ly, hoping the Mexicans might have forgotten some remnant 
of their provisions when they went off, but I found no ves- 
tiges of eatables of any kind except a few egg shells. Leaving 
the camp, I returned to the prairie and traveled upland down 
the timber above and below it for several miles hoping to meet 
with one or the other of my companions. I continued my 
search for them until late in the evening, when having aban- 
doned all hopes of finding them, 1 struck out across the prai- 
rie in the direction I intended going. Before I had gone a 
quarter of a mile I happened to look back towards the river 
and saw a house that had been hidden from my view, when 
searching for my companions, by a strip of timber. As I was 
suffering much from hunger, I concluded to return and make 



76 Early Times in Texas. 

an examination of this house and premises, hoping I might 
find something to eat. 

I approached the house cautiously for fear it might be occu- 
pied by a marauding party of Mexicans, but seeing nothing 
to excite my suspicions, I ventured up. Everything about 
the house — furniture broken and strewn in fragments over the 
floor, beds ripped open and their contents scattered around, 
plainly indicated that it had been visited by some plundering 
band of rancheros or Indians. However, in an outhouse 
near the main building, I found a piece of bacon and four or 
five ears of corn. The corn, I ground upon a steel mill that 
was fastened to a post in the yard, and starting a fire in one 
of the chimneys of the main building, I very soon prepared a 
substantial meal of "ask cake" and broiled bacon, to which I 
paid my sincere respects. By this time night had set in, and, 
spreading some tattered bed clothes left in the house upon 
the floor, I slept comfortably until morning. 



CHAPTER XIII 

Unsuccessful Search for mv Companions — Brown Re- 
captured — Finally Released and Makes his way safe- 
ly TO the Army — Holliday Pursued by a Party of 
Mexicans — Captured by two Runaway Negroes — They 
Determine to kill him, but he Talks them out of 
THE Notion — Arrives Safely at Columbia — His Subse- 
quent Fate — I set out again "Solitary and Alone" — 
Trailed by Indians, but 1 give them the Dodge. 

The next morning, after making a hearty breakfast on ash 
cake and bacon, as there was no urgent necessity for hurry- 
ing forward, I concluded I would make another attempt to 
find my companions, and I again traveled for several miles 
above and below, along the edge of the timber, but seeing 
nothing of them I at length became satisfied that they had 
been captured by the Mexicans, or had gone on without 
waiting for me. The facts were, however, as I afterwards 
learned from both of them when I subsequently met them on 
the Brazos, about as follows: After Brown and I broke away 
from the ranchero and went off in different directions, he 
pursued Brown, came up with him and took him back to the 
camp. There they tied him securely to a tree, and then pro- 
ceeded leisurely to cook and eat their supper. Brown, who 
could speak a little Spanish, told them he was starving and 
begged them to give him something to eat, but they said it 
was useless to do so as they intended to shoot him in the 
morning. He then told them if such was their intention to 
shoot him at once and not keep him tied up to a tree like a 
dog all night, but the Mexicans paid no attention to his re- 
quest and when they had finished their supper, they laid down 



78 Eai'ly Times in Texas, 

upon their blankets and went to sleep. Brown tried his best 
to untie himself, but the ranchero had fastened him so se- 
curely to the tree that he found it impossible to get loose, and 
was compelled to remain in a standing position all night. 

The next morning, as soon as it was fairly light, one of the 
rancheros walked up to Brown and pinned a piece of white 
cloth to his breast, telling him it was a mark for them to 
shoot at. Four or five rancheros then stationed themselves 
a few paces in front of him, cocked their guns and presented 
them as if about to shoot. All this time. Brown, who had 
been rendered perfectly desperate by pain and hunger, was 
cursing the Mexicans as much as his imperfect knowlege of 
the language would permit. He told them they were a set 
of cowardly scoundrels, and that the bravest feat they had 
ever performed was the murder of unarmed and helpless 
prisoners, and so on. Brown said he was suffering and had 
suffered so excruciatingly from pain and hunger all night that 
he really wanted the Mexicans to shoot him and put him out 
of his misery, but they seemed much astonished at his bold- 
ness and sang froid, and the one in command of the party 
came to where he was tied, cut the ropes and told him to go, 
that he was '*muy bravo" (very brave), and that in place of 
shooting him they would leave him to perish of hunger. 
Then they saddled their horses and mounting them rode off. 
Some days afterwards Brown was again captured by a party 
of Mexicans, but in some way he managed to escape from 
them, and finally, more by good luck than anything else, for 
he was a poor woodman,*,he made his way to the army on the 
Brazos. 

Holliday, as I have before stated, was not seen when the 
ranchero captured Brown and myself, and as soon as it was 
dark he left his hiding place and took his course across the 
prairie. Subsequently he had many narrow escapes from 
marauding parties of Mexicans and Indians. On one occa- 



Adventures of Jack DohelL 79 

sion a party of Mexicans pursued him so closely that he took 
refuge in a lake. He waded on until the water was up to his 
neck, when the Mexicans amused themselves for some time 
by firing off their scopets at his head, but fortunately for 
Holliday night came on, and under cover of the darkness he 
skipped out and dodged his pursuers. 

Another time, two runaway negro men caught him in a 
house to which he had gone in search of something to eat. 
They asked him if he was a Texan, and upon his replying in 
the affirmative they told him they intended to kill him. 
Whereupon they tied him securely in the room and went out, 
but in a few moments returned, each one with a heavy club 
in his hand, and they told him to say his prayers speedily, as 
they were going to beat out his brains. Holliday, however, 
"''reasoned" the matter with them, telling them it wasn't fair 
to kill /lim for what other white men might have done to 
them — that he had never injured them in any way, etc. His 
talk seemed to produce some effect upon one of the negroes, 
but the other still insisted on killing him. Finally, how- 
ever, the one who was inclined to favor him prevailed upon 
the other to abandon his intention of beating out his brains, 
and they said they would not kill him but would take him to 
the camp of some Mexican guerrillas near by. Holliday 
thought that this would be worse than "jumping out of the 
frying pan into the fire;" that such a proceeding would not 
be better than having his brains knocked out, — and he urged 
all the arguments he could think of against it. At length, 
much to Holliday's relief, they agreed to let him go, and 
before they left they not only gave him provisions, but di- 
rections that enabled him to make his way through an un- 
known country to the Texan army under General Houston. 
He came into Columbia, on the Brazos, about ten days 
after I did. Holliday was subsequently appointed to a cap- 
taincy in the Texas regular army, was again taken prisoner 



80 Early Times in Texas. 

in the unfortunate Santa Fe expedition, carried to the^ City 
of Mexico, and, after his liberation, died of yellow fever 
on the voyage from Vera Cruz to New Orleans, and was 
buried at sea. 

Giving up all hopes of finding my companions, I started 
out across the large prairie that extended in the direction I 
was going as far as my eye could reach. The game on this 
prairie was more abundant than I had seen it elsewhere. I 
am sure.that frequently there were a thousand deer in sight 
at a time. Here, too, I first saw the pinnated grouse, or 
prairie hen. At first I supposed the call of the cock was the 
distant lowing of wild cattle, some of which were grazing on 
the prairie. Wild turkeys were also numerous, and so un- 
used to the sight of man, that they permitted me at times to 
approach within a few paces of them. 

During the day I saw several parties of Mexicans or Indi- 
ans on. horses, but they did not come near me. About three 
o'clock in the evening I reached the timber on the Navidad, 
where I stopped to rest a while and lunch on some of the 
ash cake and bacon I had brought along with me. I then 
proceeded on my course through the bottom, and after going 
probably half a mile I came to the Navidad river, at that 
place thirty or forty yards wide. It was swollen by recent 
rains and not fordable, so I was compelled to swim it, which 
I did easily, stripping of my clothes and tying them on a piece 
of dry wood, and pushing it before me as I swam. 

As soon as I reached the bank I dressed myself and con- 
tinued my course through the bottom, which was much wider 
on that side. I had gone perhaps half a mile, when my atten- 
tion was drawn to the continuous barking of a dog in the di- 
rection from which I had come. At first I did not notice it 
particularly, supposing it was some dog left behind by the 
settlers on the Navidad when they fled from the invading 
Mexican army. But at length I observed that although I was 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 81 

traveling at a pretty rapid walk the barking of this dog 
seemed to be nearer and nearer to me, and I supected he was 
trailing me and that probably there was some one with him. 
I therefore hurried on as fast as possible, and in an hour or 
so came to the open prairie on the north side of the river. 
All this time I could hear the baying of the dog at apparently 
about the same distance behind me as when I first noticed it. 
I was sure then he was trailing me, and never halted for a 
moment, but continued on my course into the prairie for sev- 
eral hundred yards and then turned short round and retraced 
my steps to the edge of the timber, where I sprar^g as far as I 
could to one side and went down the edge of the timber 
about a hundred yards to a fallen tree, among the limbs of 
which I concealed myself, and from whence I could have a 
distinct view of anything coming out of the bottom at the 
point I left it. 

After I had thus **holed" myself, the barking of the dog 
grew louder and nearer every moment, and in a little while I 
saw the dog, followed by three Indians, emerge from the tim- 
ber, precisely at the point where I had left it. One of the 
Indians held the dog by a leash, and was armed with a gun, 
the other two had their bows and lances. If I had been 
armed with the poorest pot-metal, muzzle-loading shot-gun 
that was ever manufactured at Birmingham, I would not have 
feared them, but as I had no weapon more formidable than 
the scissor blade given me by Brown, I "laid low'' -and 
watched them from my hiding place. When the Indians fol- 
lowing the dog came to the place in the prairie from whence 
I had turned back on my trail, the dog lost it of course, but 
the Indians (taking it for granted, I suppose, that I had gone 
on in the same direction) urged and led the dog that way 
until finally they went out of sight. If I had not thrown them 
off my trail in the manner described, there is no doubt I 
would have lost my scalp on that occasion, and I took con- 



82 Early Times in Texas. 

siderable credit to myself for having beaten them at their 



own game. 



I remained but a little while in the hiding place after the 
Indians left. But the course I wished to travel was the one 
they had taken, and for that reason, and because my provi- 
sions were nearly exhausted, I determined to keep up along 
the edge of the timber, hoping to find some settlement and 
replenish my larder. I followed up the margin of the tim- 
ber for several miles, and at length came to a "clearing/^ on 
the opposite side of which 1 saw a house. I cautiously ad- 
vanced towards the house until I was satisfied it was not oc- 
cupied, and that I could venture up with safety. On enter- 
ing it I found that a marauding party of Mexicans had lately 
been there and appropriated to their own use whatever there 
might have been eatable on the premises. I searched the 
house thoroughly, but could find nothing in the way of ^'prov- 
ender." 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Sleep Luxuriously in a Bed — Roused up by Hogs — Suc- 
ceed IN Capturing One — Murder Him in Cold Blood 
WITH A Maul — Butcher Him with a Piece of Drawing 
Knife — Make Another Start — Unsuccessful Attempt 
TO Steal a Mexican Soldier's Gun. 

By the time I had finished my fruitless search for some- 
thing to eat the sun was about setting, and as there was abed 
in the house, which looked very inviting to me after sleeping 
so long on the ground, I concluded to accept the invitation 
and pass the night in it. After a very frugal and unsatisfying 
repast upon the small remnant of ash cake and bacon in my 
knapsack, I turned into my bed and was soon fast asleep. 

It, must have been near midnight when I was aroused by 
some noise. I listened attentively and soon ascertained that 
the noise was nothing but the grunting of several hogs that 
had taken up their quarters under the house whilst I was 
asleep. The house was set upon blocks, a foot or so above 
the ground and the space beneath the floor was therefore suf- 
ficiently roomy for their accommodation. The floor was 
made of puncheons or slabs, which were held in their places 
solely by their weight. Hunger as well as necessity is the 
mother of invention, and it occurred to me that I might bag 
one of these porkers by quietly lifting a puncheon immedi- 
ately above the spot where they were lying and then quickly 
grabbing the first one I could get hold of. 

1 therefore got up from my comfortable bed, and after 
listening awhile to their grunting so as to ascertain what part 
of the floor they were under, I slowly and noiselessly lifted a 
slab above them and laid it aside. Thrusting my arm down 



84 Early Times in Texas 

through the opening I had made, I felt around until my hand 
came in contact with the leg of a hog, when I suddenly seized 
it, and the row began. I had got hold of a hog much too 
large for me to manage well, and found it no easy matter to 
induce him to come up into my comfortable quarters. He 
struggled vigorously to get loose, squealing all the while in 
the most ear-piercing manner, and for some time I thought it 
very doubtful how the contest would end — whether I would 
succeed in hauling the hog up into the room, or the hog in 
dragging me under the floor. But I knew if I "let go" there 
would be no pork steaks for breakfast, as the other hogs had 
been frightened by the squealing and struggling, and had left 
for parts unknown. But the idea of having no steak for 
breakfast gave me more than my usual strength, and at last, 
but not until he had cut me severely with his hard hoofs and 
rasped a good deal of the skin off my knuckles against the 
sharp edges of the puncheons, I drew him by main "strength 
and brutality" into the room and replaced the puncheon. I 
had secured my hog, but how to kill and butcher him was 
the next question. I had nothing to do it with except one of 
the blades of the little pair of scissors given me by Brown, 
and that I knew was totally inadequate for the purpose. I 
could find nothing in the room that would do, so I slipped 
out, carefully tastening the door after me, to see if there was 
anything about the premises with which I could dispatch the 
porker. The moon was shining brightly, and I looked all 
around for something that would enable me to convert my 
hog into pork, but could find nothing better than a large 
maul that had been used for splitting rails, and with this I 
re-entered the room and made a determined assault upon the 
hog. The maul, however, was so heavy and unwieldy I 
could not handle it with sufficient celerity to inflict a stun- 
ning blow. Round and round the room we went for a quarter 
of an hour or more, the hog squealing all the while and his' 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 85 

hoofs clattering and rattling on the puncheons and making 
altogether such a *'racket^' as might have been heard at the 
distance of half a mile. At last, however, I got a fair lick at 
his cranium, which brought him to the floor, where I finished 
him by continuous "mauling.'' 

When the bloody deed had been committed, I was so com- 
pletely exhausted that I tumbled back on the bed, was asleep 
in a few moments, and did not awake until the sun was high 
in the heavens. I got up, and the first thing I did was to 
drag my hog to a spring near the house, where I butchered 
him after a fashion, with a piece of broken drawing knife I 
picked up in the yard. After finishing this job I started a 
fire, and roasted four or five pounds of the pork for breakfast. 
When I had breakfasted, I packed as much of the pork as I 
could carry in my knapsack, and started up the bottom 
again, keeping close to the edge of the timber so that I might 
readily take shelter in the event that I should meet with a 
party of Mexicans or Indians. I had come to the conclusion 
by this time that previously I had been steering my course 
too low down the country, and I thought it best to keep up 
the river some distance before I resumed it again, in order to 
avoid the lagoons and swamps which I supposed abounded in 
the vicinity of the coast. 

I traveled five or six miles without seeing anything worthy 
of note, and at noon stopped an hour or so at a pool of wa- 
ter to rest and cook some of my pork, and to "barbacue" the 
remainder so as to prevent it from spoiling. It was late in 
the evening before I started again, and about sunset, not find- 
ing another house, I concluded to encamp in a point of tira- 
bear near a pool of water. 

Just after I had turned into a bed of dry grass for the night, 
I saw a light spring up, apparently five or six hundred yards 
above, on the edge of the bottom, and I concluded to get up 
and see what caused it. The moon had not as vet made her 



86 Early Times in Texas. 

appearance, and I thought I could reconnoiter the locality 
with safety, even if the light should prove to be from the 
camp fire of Mexicans or Indians. Guided by the light, 
which continued to shine steadily, I went perhaps a quarter 
of a mile, when I saw that it came from the chinks of a small 
log cabin. I approached it silently, and when near it, I saw 
there were several other cabins near it, but no lights were 
visible in them. The chinks between the logs of the cabin 
in which the light was shining were all open, and I carefully 
crept to the side nearest me and peeped through one of them. 
I had heard for some time a queer kind of rasping sound pro- 
ceeding from with the cabin, for which I could not account 
until I looked through the chink, and then I saw a Mexican 
soldier sitting on the floor, shelling corn into a tub, which he 
did by rasping the ears on the edge. He had on his shot 
pouch and powder horn, but his gun I noticed was leaning 
against the wall next to me, and as there was an opening be- 
tween two of the logs it was leaning against wide enough to 
shove my arm through, it occurred to me that possibly I 
might be able to draw the gun through this opening before 
the Mexican was aware that any one was in the vieinity, as 
his back was turned towards me. So I reached in, seized the 
gun cautiously, near the muzzle, and began to draw it slowly 
through the chink between the logs. There is no doubt I 
would have succeeded in my attempt to get the gun, but when 
the barrel was fairly outside and I felt sure I had secured the 
prize, to my great disappointment the breech was so large 
that it stuck hard and fast between the logs. In my effort to 
pull the gun through, I unavoidably made some noise that 
attracted the attention of the soldier, and he turned and ut- 
tered an exclamation of fear and astonishment when he saw 
his gun thus mysteriously disappearing through the chink in 
the cabin, and he instantly sprang forward and clutched it by 
the breech. 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 87 

TH^ noise aroused three or four dogs sleeping near the 
cabin, and they began to bay me fiyiously. I was sure there 
were more Mexican soldiers in the adjoining houses, and 
thinking I might find a '^ healthier " location than the one 
where I was, I made off at "double quick" for the bottom, 
closely pursued by the dogs. When I reached the timber, I 
picked up a club, turned upon the dogs and drove them back. 
I heard a good deal of shouting and '^ carahooing" at the 
cabins, but as the night was quite dark I had no fear of being 
pursued, and leisurely took my way along the edge of the 
timber. When I had got I suppose a mile from the cabins, 
I went into the timber and encamped in a secure place. 

My failure to get the soldier's gun was a great disappoint- 
ment to me. Every house I had visited since I struck the 
settlements, I had searched closely for a gun, hoping that one 
might have been left by the occupants when they hurriedly 
fled before the invading army, but my search was always 
fruitless. People had abandoned a great deal of valuable 
property, but whatever arms they had they carried off. I 
had an abundance of ammunition, for at one of the houses I 
had searched I found powder and shot, which I secured, and 
all I lacked was a gun. I would willingly have given all the 
money I had in the world (amounting to seventy-five cents in 
specie) for the poorest pot-metal gun that was ever manufac- 
tured, and taken the chances of its bursting whenever I 
fired it. 



OHisJPTEE XV. 

Followed by Wolves — Mexicans and Indians — Indian 
Camp — Pass the Night There — Signal Smokes — Lost 
ON the Prairie— Tres Palacios — Try my Hand at Man- 
ufacturing A Bow. 

Just at daylight I was aroused from my slumbers by the 
clucking and gobbling of wild turkeys. I had encamped 
very near a large " roost," and as I made no fire I had not 
disturbed them. Many of the trees in the vicinity were lit- 
erally filled with them, and they were so tame I could easily 
have killed one with a bow and arrow if I had had them, and 
I determined I would try my hand at manufacturing these 
primitive weapons, if I could find some suitable tool to work 
with. 

After I had reconnoitered from the edge of the timber and 
ascertained that there were no Mexicans in sight, I went on 
up the bottom three or four miles, and then struck across the 
prairie in the direction I had been traveling. My route was 
through an open prairie interspersed with " mots " or groves 
of timber. In one of these I stopped about noon, and broiled 
a piece of my pork for dinner. After resting an hour or so I 
continued on my way, an ' about sunset came to some tim- 
ber bordering a small stream. I had scarcely entered this 
timber, which was open and free from undergrowth, when I 
noticed several large wolves trotting along behind me. 
Every now and then they set up a howl, which was answered 
by others in the distance, and before long numbers of them 
had gathered around me, attracted, I suppose, by the howl- 
ing of those I had first seen, or by the smell of the fresh meat 
I had with me. I had no fear of an immediate attack from 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 89 

them, nevertheless, I hurried on as fast as I could until I 
came to the small stream I have mentioned, on the bank of 
which I pitched camp, near a large fallen tree that would af- 
ford sutScient fuel to keep a fire burning all night. I am 
confident if I had not had a fire that night, the wolves would 
have torn me to pieces; as it was, they sometimes ventured up 
to within a few feet of the fire, howling and snarling, and evi- 
dently inclined to make a dash at me at all hazards. It 
was impossible to sleep, so I took my spite out of them by 
occasionally throwing a fire brand amongst the crowd. This 
would silence them for a moment, but they would soon begin 
their howlings again. Towards dayliglrt they raised the 
siege and departed, and I got a little nap before sunrise. 

To-day, while crossing another large prairie, I saw in the 
distance a considerable body of Mexicans or Indians, I could 
not tell which, who were traveling; at a rapid rate, and I soon 
lost sight of them. In this prairie I passed many herds of 
deer, generally fifty to a hundred in a herd, which were so 
gentle they frequently permitted me to approach within a 
few paces of them before they noticed me at all. I also saw 
several droves of mustangs, which were much wilder than the 
deer, and invariably whenever I got within five or six hun- 
dred yards ot them they would raise their heads, gaze at me 
for a few moments, and then with much snorting and '' ca- 
vorting " they would go off like the wind, and never slacken 
their speed as long as they were in sight. 

In a small grove of timber where I had halted to rest 
awhile, I saw for the first time a horned frog. I had heard 
of the tarantula and centipede of Texas, and supposing the 
harmless frog was one or the other I picked up a stick about 
ten feet long (not venturing to approach nearer such a poi- 
sonous reptile) and mashed him as flat as a pan-cake. 

Continuing my course, about sunset I came to a belt of 
timber bordering another small stream. On the bank of this 

6 



90 Early Times in Texas. 

stream t*here was an Indian encampment that appeared to 
have been occupied a day or so previously. Several of their 
fires were still smoking, and from their number I supposed 
there were thirty or forty in the party. Around these fires 
was scattered a great quantity of bones, mostly those of deer, 
though the head of a mustang here and there showed that 
they varied their diet by an occasional feast on horse flesh. 

A cold misting rain had begun to fall just before I came to 
this camp, and seeing it was likely to continue through the 
night, I took possession of a shanty built of small poles and 
covered with slips of bark. In this I stowed myself and bag- 
gage and made myself perfectly "at home." With a large 
fire in front of it and plenty of hog, but no hominy, I passed 
a very comfortable night, serenaded as usual by wolves. 

Next morning the rain had ceased, and the sun was shining 
brightly when I woke up. Cooking a piece of my pork, I 
made a hasty breakfast for fear the owner of the shanty might 
return and ask me to pay for my night's lodging, and again 
started on my journey. 

During the day I saw several "signal smokes," made I sup- 
pose by Indians, but they were a long way off. These signal 
smokes are curious things. Often when traveling over the 
plains of Western Texas, I have seen a column of smake rise 
perpendicularly into the air (no matter how strong the breeze 
might be blowing) to a great height, when it would spread 
out at the top like an umbrella, and after remaining station- 
ary for a moment "puff" it would suddenly disappear, to be 
answered perhaps by another, twenty or thirty miles away. 
They are no doubt intended for signals to warn others of the 
proximity of foes, and to indicate their own position. I have 
asked many old frontiersman how it was the Indians made 
smokes, but none of them could ever explain the matter sat- 
isfactorily to me. I have occasionally seen four or five of 



Adveniures of Jack Dohell. 91 

these signal smokes rising up in various directions at the 
same time. 

To-day, for the first time, I saw what I know now was a 
tarantula, a very large and exceedingly venomous spider? 
that haunts the dry and elevated prairies of Western Texas. 
They are not often seen in the timbered lands or in the im- 
mediate vicinity of settlements. The body of a full grown 
one is as large as a hen's tgg, and is covered with scattering 
hairs or bristles. They have two curved fangs protruding 
from the mouth, about as long and very similar in appearance 
to those oi, the rattlesnake. When provoked they are very 
pugnacious, rising upon their hind legs and springing towards 
the assailant five or six inches at a time in successive leaps. 
The Mexicans say their bite is certain death, and one can 
readily credit the assertion after seeing them. 

I made but little if any progress to-day, for not long after I 
had started it clouded up and commenced misting again, so. 
that I lost sight of the timber tov/ards which I was steering 
my course. Finally I became completely bewildered and 
after wandering about all day I came to a belt of timber I 
had good reason to suppose was the same I had started from 
in the morning. At any rate the sun just then showed itself 
for a few moments, and I found I was traveling in the direc- 
tion directly opposite the one I should have pursued. 

It was too late to take the prairie again, and I picked out a 
suitable place for camp, started a fire and cooked some of my 
pork for supper, which for want of salt was getting to be 
rather too much tainted to suit the taste of any one but a 
Frenchman. During the night the wolves favored me with 
another concert of bowlings, but they were much less impu- 
dent than upon a former occasion, and did not approach near 
enough to enable me to salute them with fire brands. 

In the morning I rose betimes, and unpacking all the pork 
I had left, I spitted it on sticks stuck up before a blazing fire* 



92 Early Times in Texas. 

I thought by roasting it in this way to keep it from spoiling 
entirely. The clouds had blown off and the sun shone out 
warm and pleasant, and having eaten some of my roasted 
pork which had decidedly too much of the ''gout," I started 
out again across the open prairie. This time I made the trip 
without difficulty, and about mid-day I came to a small stream 
which I afterwards learned was called the Tres Palacios or 
Three Palaces. How it acquired the name I cannot say, but 
I am sure I saw no palaces in its vicinity. Where I crossed 
it, I noticed a few small cedar trees growing near the bank, 
and I determined to cut one of them down and make a bow. 
This was no small job, as you may suppose, considering I had 
nothing to cut it with except a small piece of the blade of a 
drawing knife — the same I had found at the house where I 
killed the hog, and which I had carried in my knapsack ever 
since. By the time I cut the sappling down, I was both tired 
and hungry, so I knocked off work to rest a while and cook 
some pork. I then resumed my task, and chopping off about 
six feet from the butt end of the sapling I split it into four 
pieces with a wooden wedge and maul. From these I selected 
the one that was freest from knots and other defects, out of 
which, by patience and perseverance and with the aid of my 
piece of drawing knife I manufactured a very good bow. 
Arrows I knew I could easily get anywhere in the bottoms 
among the thickets of swamp dog wood or young cane. By 
the time my bow was finished night came on, and I pitched 
my camp near the creek in a little open space completely 
surrounded by a thick growth of underwood. Here I built 
my fire, warmed over some of my roasted pork, and after 
supper ''turned in" to a bed of Spanish moss which I had 
gathered from a tree near by. 

The next morning I gave the finishing touches to my bow 
and then for the first time it occurred to me that I had noth- 
ing that would answer for a string. I tried to make one of 



Adveniures of Jack Dohell. 93 

the bark of several shrubs, and of the leaves of bear grass, 
but although I taxed my ingenuity to the utmost, I failed to 
make a cord strong enough for the bow, and I had at last to 
abandon the attempt altogether. 

This was a great disappointment to me as I had calculated 
largely on supplying myself with an abundance of small game 
by means of my bow. I had heard of people having "two 
strings to their bows," and yet under the most pressing ne- 
cessity I was unable to get one for mine— which convinces 
me that things are very unequally divided in this world. 

The day was so far gone when I had finished my unsuc- 
cessful attempt at cord making, that I thought it best to re- 
main where I was for the night and make a fresh start in the 
morning. It must have been twelve or one o'clock, when 
something awoke me, and finding that my fire had pretty well 
gone out, I was just in the act of getting up to throw some 
sticks on it, when I heard the stealthy but heavy tread of 
some large animal near by. I laid still and listened atten- 
tively, and was convinced there was some heavy animal cau- 
tiously approaching the spot where I was lying. Just then, 
fortunately probably for me, a chunk rolled off a log I had 
placed behind the fire, and blazed up brightly. By the light 
thus made, I saw distinctly either a large panther or Mexican 
lion, not twenty feet distant, crouching down as if about to 
spring upon me. I instantly jumped, and seizing my "bed 
clothes" (the dry Spanish moss I had gathered) I threw it 
on the fire and it blazed up at once as high as my head. 
This must have frightened the animal, whatever it was, for 
when I turned to look it was gone. Possibly it did not in- 
tend to attack me, but the way in which it had approached 
me, was to say the least of it very suspicious. The loss of 
my "bed clothes" did not discommode me much, as I sat up 
the balance of the night to keep my fire supplied with fresh 
fuel, although the night was quite warm. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Narrow Escape from Indians— Reach the Colorado River 
AND SWIM IT — Old Caney Creek — Immense Cane Brake 
— Encounter with a Wild Cat — Get into comfortable 
quarters. 

As soon as the sun rose, I made haste to leave the locality 
where I had passed such an unpleasant night. Late in the 
evening I came to an extensive body of timber, in which I 
supposed I would find a considerable stream. On the edge 
of this timber I saw a house, and as by this time what re- 
mained of my pork was so strong of the "gout" that I don't 
think even a Frenchman would have relished it, I determined 
to go to the house and search for something to eat. I entered 
the woods some distance below it, and kept under cover until 
I was near enough to see there was no one about, when I 
ventured up. On entering I soon saw that it had been ran- 
sacked by the Mexicans, who had consumed or taken away 
whatever there might have been in it in the way of eatables. 
In the vicinity, however, as I was leaving, I came across a 
half-grown hog, which evidently had very recently been shot 
by some one, who had taken only a small part of it, and I 
appropriated as much of what was left as I could convenient- 
ly carry. As the sun was about setting, I went some distance 
into the timber, so that the light from my fire would not be 
visible to any one passing along the prairie, where I *'biv- 
ouacked" for the night at the foot of a tree. 

By sunrise I was up and on my way again, crossing in a 
mile or so a considerable creek. To-day I passed over a 
country mostly prairie, but interspersed here and there with 
groves of live oaks, hackberry, etc., which gave it a park 



Adventures of Jack Dobell ' 95 

like appearance. In one of these groves, thickly settled with 
underbrush, I stopped to rest, and was just in the act of leav- 
ing it, when I heard the tramping of horses' hoofs and the 
jangling of spurs and other accoutrements. Looking through 
the bushes I saw about twenty Indians slowly jogging along 
in single file upon their horses. They had no guns and were 
armed only with bows and lances. They rode within thirty 
paces of where I was lying— low, but did not halt, and in a 
few moments they were hid from my view by another grove. 
I remained where I was half an hour longer than 1 would 
have done otherwise, in order to give these Indians full time 
to get out of my way, and then proceeded on my course. A 
little before sunset I came to a clear running creek, on the 
farther side of which I encamped. (At that time, all the 
creeks and small water courses, and even the ponds in West- 
ern Texas were clear and pure, but now many of them have 
lost that character to a greater or less extent, owing to the 
cultivation of adjacent lands and the tramping of stock.) 

I had made my camp beneath some low spreading live 
oaks, which appeared to be a favorite roosting place for wild 
turkeys. Just at dusk they came flocking into them from 
every direction, and they were so unused to being hunted, I 
could easily have killed one with a pocket pistol— but as I 
didn't have the pistol I had to content myself with roast pork 
instead of roast turkey. 

I had noticed before dark that a very extensive prairie lay 
to the north and east, and I was up and on my way the next 
morning before daylight, in order that I might reach the 
timber on the opposite side as speedily as possible. I ran 
but little risk comparatively when traveling in timber, but on 
the open prairie I was in constant danger of being picked up 
by parties of Mexicans or Indians. I pushed on as fast as I 
could until noon, when I stopped to rest in a grove near a 
small lagoon that seemed to be well stocked with fish, for I 



96 Early Times in Texas 

saw numbers of bass and perch swimming in the shallow 
water near shore. On the margin of this lake I found some 
wild onions growing, which I dug up and ate raw, and which 
were a great treat to me, as I had not had anything in the 
vegetable line, fresh and green, for a long time. ^ 

In the evening I continued on my way across the prairie 
on the farther side of which I could see a long line of un- 
broken timber stretching from northeast to southwest, as far 
as my eye could reach. It was nearly night when I came to 
this timber, and I had gone but a little way in it, when I saw 
a large river before me, which I knew must be the Colorado. 
The river was very high and rapid, and I thought it best to 
encamp for the night and wait until morning before I at- 
tempted to swim it. Where I struck it, it was about two 
hundred yards wide and much swollen by recent heavy rains, 
and although I was a good swimmer, I felt some hesitation 
the next morning in "taking water." However, I looked 
around and found a suitable piece of dead timber, to which 
I tied my boots and clothes, and launched forth with it on 
the turbulent stream, pushing it before me as I swam. Fi- 
nally I made a landing safely on the north bank of the river, 
but was carried by the strength of the current a considerable 
distance below the pofnt where I had entered the water. 

After resting myself a while and drying my clothes, I took 
up the line of march again through a heavily timbered bot- 
tom about a mile and a half wide, from which I at length 
emerged into the open prairie. Without halting I continued 
on my course until late in the evening, when' I came to 
the timber on old Caney Creek. Along this creek, which 
apparently in times gone by was the bed of the Colorado 
river, from its head to its mouth, a distance of sixty or seven- 
ty miles, there was a continuous cane brake. Where I 
struck the timber on old Caney, there had been a considera- 
ble settlement, as some four or five houses were in sight, but 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 97 

V 

on examination, I found that all of them had been plundered 
by Mexicans, who had taken everything of any value left on 
the premises. At one of these houses whilst searching the 
rooms to see if anything in the way of provisions had be^en 
overlooked by the Mexicans, I heard a hen ''squawking" as if 
some "varmint" was in pursuit of her. I stepped to the door 
to look out, and saw a hen racing around the yard and a very 
large wild cat following her closely. Having seen nothing 
eatable anywhere, except this hen, I determined to put in a 
*'bid" for her myself, and picking up a billet of wood, I 
stepped out boldly towards the cat. When he saw me com- 
ing, he quit his pursuit of the hen, but showed not the slight- 
est disposition to abandon the field. I advanced to within 
a few paces of where he stood humping his back and showing 
his teeth, and threw the stick I had in my hand at his head. 
I missed my aim, but struck him a severe blow on the side, 
and instantly he gave a scream and sprang furiously towards 
me. I retreated precipitately and inglorfously for the house, 
which I reached just in time to rush into the door and slam 
it to in the face of the infuriated cat. If I had had a few 
feet further to go, he would have nabbed me to a certainty. 
The cat stopped some time in front of the door, as if he in- 
tended to besiege me in the house, or was bantering me to 
come out and give him a fair fight, which, under the circum- 
stances, I declined doing, but after a while he went off lei- 
surely towards the woods and I saw him no more. In the 
mean time "the bone of contention," the hen, had gone to 
roost in tree near by. She undoubtedly owed her life to me, 
but for a very little while, for after dark I climbed up to her 
roost, grabbed her by the leg, and wrung her neck. With my 
prize, I retreated as speedily as possible to the house, for fear 
the wild cat might return and assert his claim to it again, and 
as I had no weapon I was very sure he would get the better 
of the contest and the hen too. 



^8 Early Times in Texas. 

I remained all night at this house, and after breakfasting 
on the hen I had saved from the wild cat, I started off down 
the bottom to reconnoitre the country in that direction. When 
I^had gone a mile or two I came to a small prairie connected 
with the main one by a very narrow neck and surrounded 
everywhere else by thick woods and cane brakes. This I con- 
cluded to explore, and after proceeding some distance in it, 
I saw there was a house at the farther end. When I had 
approached within a hundred yards of the house, a half a 
dozen dogs came rushing out of it, seemingly with the inten- 
tion of tearing me to pieces. I picked up a stick to defend 
myself, but when the dogs got near enough to see that I was 
an American, instead of attacking me they began to leap and 
jump around me as dogs do when they see their masters after a 
long absence. How they found out so quickly I was an 
American, I do not know, for exposure to sun and weather 
had tanned my complexion, until it was as dark as that of a 
Mexican or Indian. With my escort of dogs I went to the 
house, and entering it, saw at once that the Mexicans had 
never been there, for everything remained, evidently, just 
as it had been left by the occupants — furniture untouched, 
cases filled with books and articles of wearing apparel, cribs 
with corn and smoke house containing at least a thousand 
pounds of bacon. In a kind of shed room I also found a 
barrel of brown sugar and half a sack of coffee, and in the 
crib, besides corn, a quantity of potatoes and pumpkins. 
. There were a great many chickens and ducks in the yard, 
which no doubt, had been protected from "varmints" by the 
pack of dogs that still continued to escort me about the 
premises. In the smoke house as I have said, there was a 
large quantity of bacon, and the first thing I did was to take 
a "middling" and cut it up for the dogs. I then built a fire in 
one of the chimneys and in a little while had cooked for my- 
self a first rate dinner together with a cup of coffee, the first 



Adveiitures of Jack Dobell. 99 

I had tasted since leaving Goliad. After dinner I turned into 
one of the beds in the house and had a comfortable snooze. 

When I awoke I got up and continued my investigations. 
In a back room I found quite a library, a rare thing at that 
time in Texas. I found also many articles of clothing in a 
closet, some of which fitted me tolerably well, and from which 
without any tear of being arrested for "petit larceny," I re- 
plenished my scanty wardrobe. Among other things I found 
in this house— something I wished for exceedingly — was a 
^un, but unfortunately it was without a lock, and consequent- 
ly useless. Not far from the main building there was a row 
of log cabins, that evidently had served as negro ''quarters,*' 
which induced me to believe that the place belonged to some 
well to do cotton planter. 

As I had been much weakened by starvation and fatigue 
and the exposure I had undergone in my route through the 
wilderness, I concluded I would ''stop over" a day or two at 
this house and recuperate my strength a little before I set out 
on my journey again. There were beds in several of the 
rooms, in one of which I slept at night, while my pack of 
dogs kept watch outside. These dogs were not mongrels or 
*'curs of low degree," neither were they of the "suck egg" 
breed, as was evident from the fact that although they were 
in a starving condition when I came, and that the chickens 
had laid their eggs almost everywhere in the house and yard, 
not one had been touched by them — for which I was thank- 
ful, being particularly fond of eggs myself. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

In clover — Too much fried chicken — Pitching a tent over 
A "Den" of Rattlesnakes — Followed by my pack of 

DOGS AND COMPELLED TO RETURN — GiVE THEM THE DODGE 
IN THE NIGHT, BUT ONE TRAILS ME AND PERSISTS IN KEEPING 
ME COMPANY — I NAME HIM "SCOUT." 

» 

I remained several days in my comfortable quarters, feast- 
ing on the good things I found in them, and reading books I 
selected from the library. On the evening of the third day 
of my sojourn at the house, feeling a little unwell (I rather 
think I had been indulging somewhat too freely in "fried 
chicken'O, I concluded I would take a short stroll around my 
domains by way of exercise. After going a few hundred 
yards I turned to take a bird's eye view of my surroundings, 
and I exclaimed as Crusoe did on his island: 

''I am monarch of all I survey. 
My right there is none to dispute," 

except, I mentally added, a marauding party of Mexicans 
or Indians, and now and then a wild cat. 

Whilst passing through some tall grass, I came very near 
treading on a rattlesnake, the first I had seen in Texas, al- 
though some portions of the country I had passed over was 
much infested with them; but the season then was hardly far 
enough advanced to bring them out of the dens or holes in 
which they take up their winter quarters. Often since, when 
passing over some of the uninhabited plains between the 
Nueces and Rio Grande rivers, I have found them so numerous 
in particular localities, that I was scarcely ever out of hearing 
of the sound of their rattles. They are not, however, nearly so 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 101 

vicious in Texas as they are in some other countries, and sel- 
dom attempt to strike, unless attacked. I have slept with 
them, ridden and walked over them frequently, and instead 
of trying to bite me they always did their best to get out of 
the way — except on one occasion. I was stalking some deer 
one day on the prairie, when I stepped upon a rattlesnake 
lying coiled up in the grass. I knew even before I saw it, by 
the peculiar soft squirmy feel under my foot that I had put it 
on a snake, and I promptly ''lit out" without waiting for 
orders. As I did not wish to shoot him for fear of alarming 
the deer, and as they are easily stunned by a very slight tap 
on the head, I drew the ramrod from my rifle and gave his 
head a smart blow with it. I then mashed his head by repeated 
blows with the breech of my gun, and thinking of course I 
had killed him, I went on after the deer. Two days subse- 
quently when passing the place again, that same snake came 
very near biting me. I knew it was the same, for one of his 
eyes was out, and his whole head bruised and bloody from the 
blows I had given it with the breech of my rifle. I really 
believe he recognized me as the "author of all his ills," for 
when I attempted to go near him he would raise his head a 
foot or more from the ground, and with his rattles going in- 
cessantly, would glare at me with his one eye in the most 
vindictive way. I determined to make sure of him this time, 
and leveling my rifle at his head, I took good aim and fired. 
The bullet knocked his head into fragments, and one of the 
pieces struck me on the forehead, making a slight wound. 
The idea immediately occurred to me that I had been struck 
by one of his fangs, and that I was fated to be killed by this 
particular snake. However, after bathing the scratch in a 
pool of water, and finding that my head had not swelled up 
as big as a bushel, I went on my way, congratulating myself 
upon my second escape from my vindictive foe. 

But to return from this digression, to my story. On the 



102 Early Times in Texas. 

morning of the fourth day of my sojourn at this house, I con- 
cluded I had regained my strength sufficiently to take the 
road once more, or rather the woods and prairies. Prepara- 
tory to leaving, I packed up as much sugar, coffee and bacon 
as I could carry, together with five or six pounds of meal, 
which I had ground upon a steel mill. I also put a tin cup 
in my knapsack, and several other articles which I thought 
would be useful to me. When ready to start I stuck a couple 
of carving knives (which I had also found at this house) in 
my belt, and, bidding adieu to my dogs, after I had given 
them middlings enough to last them for a month, I set out on 
my tiavels again. But, to my great dismay, when I had got 
a few hundred yards from the house, I found I had not con- 
sulted the wishes of the dogs about leaving them, and that 
the whole pack \vas following close at my heels — suspecting, 
I suppose, from the preparations they had seen me making, 
that I was going "for good." I tried to drive them back by 
throwing sticks and other things at theYn, but it was all to no 
purpose. They would stop whenever I did, but the minute I 
started they followed on. I knew it would be impossible for 
me to travel safely through a country in which I would be 
liable at any time to meet marauding parties of Mexicans and 
Indians with a half dozen dogs at my heels, and finding I 
could not get rid of them, I determined to go back to the 
house, wait there until night, and then quietly leave them. 
So I returned, and passed another day very pleasantly at my 
house, looking over the books in my library, and cooking and 
eating at short intervals. 

Before I retired to my apartment, I noticed particularly 
where the dogs were sleeping, and about midnight I got up, 
quietly shouldered my pack of provisions, and left the house. 
I had gone perhaps half a mile down the edge of the cane 
brake when I heard the pattering of feet behind me, and in a 
few moments one of the dogs came up. I beat him severely 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 103 

with a stick, but he only whined and crouched down at my 
feet. Finally, I determined to kill him with one of my butch- 
er knives, but as I grasped him by the neck, and drew my 
carving knife, he looked up at me so piteously that I hadn't 
the heart to use it, and abandoned my murderous intention. 
I thought I could manage to keep one dog under control, and 
that the risk I ran of being killed or captured would not be 
increased to any great extent by having a dog with me; be- 
sides, I came to the conclusion that the company of a dog 
was better than none. Like the Frenchman, I think that sol- 
itud'e is very pleasant at times, provided there is some one 
with you to whom you can say "how delightful is solitude. '^ 
The dog that followed me was a very large 'and powerful one 
— a cross, I think, between the English bull and the New- 
foundland. I found him to be tractable and, at the same 
time, as courageous as a lion, In a few days I had him per- 
fectly under control; could make him lie down at a word, 
and remain at camp to guard it when I went off foraging or 
reconnoitering. I named him Scout. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Camp in cane brake — Try to cut a road through the 
BRAKE — Frightened by a bear — Find comfortablr quar- 
ters AGAIN — Splendid breakfast^ — Vain search for a 
road crossing brake — Narrow escape from a party of 
Lancers — Give my dog a lesson. 

After traveling a mile or two down the brake, I thought I 
had gone far enough to get away from the other dogs, and I 
encamped for the balance of the night near a lagoon. I heard 
no wolves at this camp, but several times during the night I 
was roused by the noise made by some large animal forcing 
its way through the cane. I suppose it was a bear, as I no- 
ticed next morning a great many tracks in the soft ooze near 
the margin of the lagoon. 

Whilst lying awake the next morning, upon my bed of dry 
leaves, my attention was drawn to a rustling among them, and 
turning them over, I found an ugly reptile about six inches 
long, which I thought then, and know now, was a centipede. 
Not fancying such a bed-fellow, I quickly dispatched him 
with a stick. They resemble somewhat the reptile called the 
"thousand leg worm,'' but they are much larger and flatter, 
and although they are well provided with legs, they have not 
quite a thousand. They are of a dark brown color on the 
back, and the under side a dirty white. Their tail is forked, 
and has a long sting in the end of each prong, besides smaller 
stings on each foot, and, to complete their means of inflicting 
wounds, the mouth is furnished with fangs. They are a dis- 
gusting looking "varmint," and are said to be very venom- 
ous. An old Texan speaking about them, said: ''When they 
wound you with their feet alone, it hurts considerable; when 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 105 

they sting you with their forked tail it's a great deal worse, 
but when they pop you with all their stings, and bite you too 
— say your prayers." 

As soon as I had cooked and eaten breakfast and Scout had 
cleaned the dishes by licking them, I began to search again 
for a road that would lead me across the brake. Failing to 
find one after searching for several hours along the edge of 
the brake, I determined, if possible, to cut my way through it. 
I therefore attacked the cane, green briers and bushes with a 
carving knife, and after working faithfully till late in the day, 
I found I had gone about three hundred yards. Such slow 
progress was exceedingly discouraging, for at that rate, if the 
brake was as wide as I thought it to be, I would be several 
weeks getting through it. There were a few scattering trees 
among the cane, and in order that I might be able to form 
some idea of the width of the brake, I climbed one of the 
tallest, from whence I could see an ocean of cane, extending 
at least four miles in the direction I wished to go, and beyond 
the scope of vision to the Northwest and Southeast. The 
length of time and the amount of labor that I knew would 
necessarily be required to cut my way for so long a distance 
through this dense mass of vegetation^ induced me to give 
over the attempt, and, descending from the tree, I took the 
path I had cut back to the prairie. Feeling considerably fa- 
tigued by my labors, when I got to the edge of the brake, I 
sat down at the root of a large tree to rest awhile. Gradual- 
ly I fell into a doze, from which I was suddenly aroused by 
the growling of Scout, and a scuffling, scratching noise over- 
head, and looking up, I caught a glimpse of some huge black 
animal sliding down the tree a few feet above my head. I 
sprang off quickly to one side, and at the same instant a bear 
struck the ground and took his way into the cane, which pop- 
ped and cracked as if a wagon was going through it. It would 
be hard to say which was the most frightened, I or the bear, 

8 



106 Early Times in Texas. 

and even Scout was so demoralized by his unexpected appear- 
ance that he made no attempt to pursue him. The bear, of 
course, was up the tree when I took my seat at the foot of it, 
and as the tree was densely covered with Spanish moss, I had 
not noticed him. From my protracted stay at the foot of the 
tree, I suppose bruin had come to the conclusion that I was 
laying siege to him regularly, and getting desperate, he had 
charged down upon me in the manner I have related. Had I 
known it was a bear when I first caught a glimpse of him, 1 
should not have been alarmed, as I had never heard tell of 
their attacking any one except when wounded and brought to 
bay. 

Several days afterwards, however, two of them exhibited 
such evident signs of hostile intentions towards me that I 
was induced to believe that they were not so non-combative 
as generally supposed. 

After this little adventure, I continued on along the edge 
of the brake, hoping I might find some road or trail leading 
across it. I examined every nook and indentation, and final- 
ly came to quite a large trail leading from the open prairie 
towards the brake. Along this trail the old traces of wagon 
wheels were distinctly visible. I followed it for some dis- 
tance running almost parallel with the brake, and at length 
came to where it abruptly turned and entered it. After cross- 
ing a strip of cane about two hundred yards wide, with a 
small lagoon near the center of it, spanned by a rude bridge 
of logs, I came to a small prairie perhaps a mile in length 
and half a mile wide, a consideiable part of which had been 
in cultivation. At the farther end of this prairie I saw a 
house, to which the trail I was following seemed to lead. 
When I had approached to within three or four hundred 
yards of the house, I halted for a few moments to make sure 
whether or not there was any one about the premises. I 
I heard the crowing of chicken cocks and the squealing of 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 107 

pigs, but as I saw no smoke issuing from any of the chim- 
neys or any other signs to indicate that the house was occu- 
pied, I ventured up. There were a great many chickens, 
ducks and pigs in the yard, but no dogs came to welcome us. 
The house was a comfortable log building, consisting of four 
rooms with a wide passage between them and a broad piazza 
in front, and was sheltered by some large live oak and pecan 
trees. Everything in the house remained just as it was when 
abandoned by the occupants, which convinced me that it 
never had been discovered by the Mexicans. Indeed so se- 
cluded was the locality and so completely hidden from view 
by the strip of tall cane on the lagoon before mentioned, 
that no one passing along the main prairie outside would have 
suspected there was a settlement in the vicinity. 

This house was furnished even in better style than the one 
I stopped at last, which, together with the number of out- 
houses and negro quarters, convinced me it had been the 
residence of a wealthy planter. In the barns and cribs I 
found a large quantity of corn, potatoes, etc., and'plenty of 
sugar and coffee in a store-room. 

By the time I had made a thorough examination of the 
premises, the day was pretty well spent, and I determined to 
take up my quarters for the night in the house. Besides, it 
had clouded up and a cold, misting rain had begun to fall. 
I therefore proceeded to make myself at home without the 
least ceremony. I lolled upon the sofa, read the books^ 
smoked a pipe (which the proprietor of the premises had left 
behind in th« hurry of departure, with a box of tobacco), 
and after I had supped sumptuously on boiled eggs diud peach 
preserves, I turned into a large double bed that looked as if 
it had just been spread for my special accommodation, and 
with Scout keeping watch at the door I slept like a prince 
until the sun was an hour high. 

For my breakfast I had fried chicken, ash cake, boiled eggs. 



108 Early Times in Texas, 

coffee and honey. After breakfast, I filled my knapsack with 
fresh provisions, and bidding adieu as I thought forever to 
these pleasant quarters, I set out again to search for a road 
that would lead me across the brake. Little did I think that 
five days would pass before I bade a final farewell to these 
quarters — yet such was the fact. 

All that day I searched for a road that would lead me 
across the interminable cane brake that barred my further 
progress. Occasionally I would fall into a cattle or deer trail 
leading into it, but they either gave out entirely after pene- 
trating it a short distance, or else split up into half a dozen 
blind paths that did not seem to lead anywhere or in any par- 
ticular direction. Wearied and disheartened by my failure 
to find a road, I returned to my domicil, feasted again on fried 
chicken, eggs, honey, etc., and again look possesion of my 
double bed for the night. 

The next day this same programme was gone through with 
and the next, and the next, with the same results, and I al- 
most began to despair of ever finding a way through this 
apparently endless wilderness of cane, briers and brush. 
However, it was some consolation to me to know that after 
the fatigues and disappointments of the day, I had such com- 
fortable quarters to fall back upon at night. 

Nevertheless, as I was very anxious to get on as speedily 
as possible, I left my domicil one morning with the determin- 
ation that 1 would follow the brake up to the head of old 
Caney, providing I could find no road crossing it. I went on 
up the brake, examining closely every nook and indentation 
without success, until I had traveled, as I suppose, five or six 
miles. Here I struck out into the open prairie, to avoid a 
deep lagoon that lay in the way, and ere long I came to a 
well beaten road, running almost parallel with the brake. 
This road had evidently been traveled a day or so previously 
by a large body of cavalry. I concluded I would follow it a 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 109 

short distance, and was going along leisurely, when I heard 
the clattering of horses' hoofs behind me, and turning to look, 
I saw a troop of Mexican lancers advancing rapidly, not 
more than four or five hundred yards distant. There was not 
a tree or bush to screen me, nearer than the brake, at least 
halt- a mile to my right, and I knew it would be impossible 
for me to reach it before I was overtaken by the lancers. For 
a moment I gave myself up for lost, but fortunately on one 
side of the road there was a patch of rank dead grass, and 
as there was no time for consideration, I seized Scout by the 
neck, dragged him twenty or thirty paces into the grass, threw 
him down and laid myself by his side, holding him tightly by 
the muzzle to prevent him from growling or barking at the 
lancers as they passed. 

In a few moments they came up and when opposite the 
place where Scout and I were hidden, they halted. I could 
see them plainly through the grass, and could hear them 
talking, but not with sufficient distinctness to understand 
what was said. 

Scout, too, was aware of their proximity, and when they 
halted he gave a low growl, and tried to get up, but I choked 
him severely until he lay quiet. The lancers had evidently 
caught a glimpse of us before we left the road, for after they 
halted, several dismounted and examined the road for tracks, 
but luckily at that place the ground was gravelly and hard, 
and my boots had left no distinct traces on it. 

At length, satisfied I suppose they had seen nothing, or 
what they had seen was only a couple of wolves or wild hogs, 
those that had dismounted to examine the road for "sign'' 
sprang into their saddles, and they all rode on at a gallop. 
As soon as I saw they were fairly off, I drew a long breath, 
and I think Scout did so too, for I had choked him until his 
tongue lolled out. When the lancers had got to a safe dis- 
tance, I loosened my grasp from his neck and let him up. 



110 Early Times in Texas. 

But he never forgot the lesson I gave him on that occasion, 
and whenever I wished him to lie down and keep quiet, I had 
only to place my hand on his neck, when he would crouch 
down and remain as still as a mouse until I told him to rise. 
Thankful for what under the circumstances seemed to me al- 
most a miraculous escape, I took my way back to the timber? 
resolved that henceforth I would keep a better look out, and 
travel as little as possible in daylight, through the open 
prairies. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Bears around the Camp— Return to ''my'' Domicil — Make 

MYSELF AT HOME AGAIN — LOBO WOLVES — ANOTHER StART — 

Jointed Snake — Frighten a drove of Mustangs — Dis" 

APPOINTED and RETURN ''HoME" — DIFFICULTY OF TRAVEL- 
ING through the PRAIRIES — MOCCASINS VERSUS ShOES — 

Again in search of a road — Night Alarms — Immense 
Turkey Roost. 

When I reached the woods the sun was about setting and 
as it was too far to think of returning to my ^'domicil," selec- 
ted a suitable locality and encamped for the night. During 
the night several large animals which I supposed to be bear 
came around camp, and the noise they made in the cane, kept 
Scout in such constant state of excitement, that I am sure he 
got but little sleep. 

The next morning, I retraced my way down the brake, and 
about midday reached my quarters, where I found every- 
thing as I had left it the day before. After feasting again on 
fried chicken, sweet potatoes and hot coffee, I took a seat on 
the porch, with a volume of Don Quixote (which I read for 
the first time at this house), and cocking my feet up on the 
bannisters, I made myself comfortable for the rest of the 
evening. 

Whilst I was thus taking ''mine ease in mine inn," it occur- 
red to me that if Mahomet couldn't get to the mountain, per- 
haps the mountain might come to Mahomet — in other words, 
if I couldn't get to the Texan army, perhaps it would be just 
as well to remain where I was until the Texans whipped the 
Mexicans and re-occupied the country. That they would do 
so eventually I had not the slightest doubt, although the Mex- 



112 Early Times in Texas. 

leans had told us when prisoners at Goliad (for the purpose 
of discouraging us and preventing us from making any at- 
tempt to escape), that Santa Anna had defeated Gen. Hous- 
ton's army, and that the whole country was virtually in their 
possession. But in fact I did not seriously entertain for a 
moment the idea of remaining any longer where I was, com- 
fortable as were my quarters, than I could possibly help; for 
I knew very well I would not be satisfied with such an in- 
active life, when my countrymen were all in the field battling 
against the merciless foe. So I retired to my sleeping apart- 
ment that night with the determination of renewing my 
search for a road the next morning, and to persevere in it 
until I succeeded. 

During the night I heard the howl of several ''lobo" wolves 
very near the house, but of course I did not fear them within 
the walls of my castle. The fact is, I did not fear anything 
except a visit from marauding parties of Mexicans or Indians, 
against whom neither the log walls of my castle nor my two 
formidable looking carving knives would have afforded me 
much protection. Audubon,'' who is a recognized authority 
upon the subject of birds, if not of beasts, told me that the 
lobo was the largest known species of wolf in the world, and 
certainly they are much larger than any on the American 
continent. They resemble the hyena in form as much or 
more than they do that of the common wolf. Their howl is 
also very different, and when camping out alone on the 
prairies, it always seemed to me to be the most mournful, 
doleful and ''lonesome" sound I ever heard. Several in^ 
stances have been known since the settlement of Texas of 
their attacking travelers when benighted on the prairies, and 
I was once myself with a party of rangers who rescued a way- 
farer from their clutches, and who, but for our timely arrival, 
would undoubtedly have been torn to pieces by them. 

Nothing else occurred to disturb me during the night, and 



Adventures of Jack DohelL 113 

the next morning I rose betimes, and as soon as breakfast was 
over I shouldered my knapsack and set out, intending to 
make a thorough search for a road along the edge of the 
brake below. In the bottom to-day I noticed that many of 
the trees were putting forth their leaves, an indication that 
spring had fairly set in, and a variety of wild flowers were 
also beginning to make their appearance on the prairie. 

To-^day I came across a specimen of the jointed snake, the 
first I had ever seen. It was a small snake, not more than 
fifteen or twenty inches in length, and its skin had a vitrified 
or glassy appearance. It seemed to be rather sluggish and 
unwieldly, and when I struck it a slight tap with a small 
stick, to my great astonishment, it broke into half a dozen 
pieces, each piece hopping off in a very lively way ''on its 
own hook." I have since heard it asserted, that after a time 
the broken parts of the snake will come together and reunite 
and then crawl off as if nothing had happened to it; but I 
shall always be doubtful of the story until satisfactory vouch- 
ers of its truth, duly authenticated and sworn to, are pro- 
duced. 

About midday I noticed a cloud of dust rising in the 
prairie way off to my right, caused, as I at first supposed by 
a large body of troops in motion. I was traveling near the 
edge of the cane brake, both for greater security and for fear 
I might pass by without observing it, some road leading 
across. I therefore quickly concealed myself behind a small 
thicket, from whence I could see all that was passing on the 
prairie. Presently I saw issue .from the cloud of dust a dense 
body of horses, which, on their nearer approach, I perceived 
were "uncurbed by bit and riderless." I supposed there 
were at least six or seven hundred in the drove. I saw they 
would pass within a short distance of the thicket where I was 
concealed, and when nearly opposite, I suddenly sprang out 
in full view of them and gave a loud whoop. They halted at 



114 Early Times in Texas, 

once and with heads erect, stood for an instant looking at me 
in astonishment, then with the precision of a troop of cav- 
alry, they wheeled about and went back in the direction they 
had come. 

I continued on my way, and when I supposed I had traveled 
at least six or seven miles from where I had started, to my 
great joy I came to a plain road, running from the prairie 
into the brake. I felt confident it would take me through it, 
but when I followed it a hundred yards or so into the brake, 
it came to an abrupt termination at a place where a large 
tree had been cut down and split into boards! There was 
not a vestige of a road beyond that point — nothing but almost 
solid walls of tall canes matted together with green briers 
and vines. 

Sadly disappointed and dispirited, I retraced my steps to 
the prairie, and thence back towards — what I began now to 
regard as my permanent home, where I arrived a little after 
sunset, so "beat out" with my day's tramp that I turned into 
my bed supperless, and slept like a log until roused at day- 
light by the crowing of 7?iy chickens and the squealing of my 
pigs. It may seem strange to some, that one accustomed to 
walking as I v/as, and after living upon the "fat of the land" 
as I had of late, should have been so much fatigued by a lit- 
tle tramp of twelve or fifteen miles — but that was precisely 
"what was the matter with Hanna." After starving for so 
long a time, I had indulged too freely in "fried chicken;'' and 
besides, walking through the woods and prairies is not like 
traveling on a well beaten road. In the former your progress 
is often necessarily slow and laborious on account of having 
to force your way through rank grass and many creeping 
vines, that are constantly entangling one's legs, and occasion- 
ally tripping one up. Moreover the soles of your shoes soon 
become as slick as glass by rubbing on dry leaves and grass, 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 115 

so that you are freciuently slipping backward instead of going 
forward. 

Being determined to persevere in my attempt to find a road 
that would enable me to cross the brake, the next morning I 
shouldered my knapsack, and set out again in the direction I 
had taken two days previously when I made such a narrow 
escape from the lancers. Scout evidently seemed to think I 
was wandering about in a very aimless way, nevertheless he 
trotted along after me without asking any questions. 

I traveled up fhe brake a mile or so beyond the point where 
I had turned back on the former occasion, examining closely 
every nook and bend for trails or roads. In this way I dis- 
covered one or two that had escaped my observation on my 
previous trip, but they "petered out" after going a short dis- 
tance into the cane. 

Finding no road or trail to answer my purpose, and night 
combing on, I encamped in some timber near the edge of the 
cane. A little after dark I heard a great many turkeys flying 
up to roost in the trees around my camp. The wolves howled 
incessantly, and once the sharp scream of a panther close by 
roused Scout from his slumber and he dashed off in the direc- 
tion of the sound, but very soon came. running back with his 
tail between his legs. It was evident he wanted my "moral 
support," but I declined hunting panthers in the night with a 
carving knife. I felt no fear of them, however, in camp, as I 
had a blazing fire, which I took especial care to keep well 
supplied with fuel. I have been told that in India tigers 
have been known to come up to camp-fires and seize upon 
persons sleeping near them. This may be true, but there is 
no wild beast (with the exception perhaps of the grizzly 
bear) on the North American continent that will venture so 
near a blazing fire — at least I have never heard of an instance 
of the kind during the many years I have lived on the fron- 
tiers. 



116 Early Times in Texas 

At daylight I was aroused from my slumbers by the cluck- 
ing and gobbling of turkeys. There must have been several 
hundred of them upon the trees within fifty yards of where I 
was lying. One fat old fellow was sitting upon a limb not 
more than thirty feet from me, strutting and gobbling in the 
most impudent way. It seemed to me he knew I was partic- 
ularly fond of roast turkey, and that he was "cutting up his 
didoes" for no other purpose than to tantalize me with the 
display of his goodly proportions. Even when I got up and 
walked towards him, he took no notice of me, until I threw a 
stick at him, when he uttered an exclamation something like 
"what!" and soared away to his feeding grounds. 

After breakfast I continued my route along the edge of the 
brake. When I had gone about two miles, I noticed a house 
on the prairie near a small grove of timber, half a mile or so 
to my left, and I concluded to go out and examine the prem- 
ises. The house was a small log cabin, surrounded by an 
enclosure containing perhaps a dozen or fifteen acres. It 
was poorly furnished and I saw nothing about the premises 
except some ducks and chickens. 



CHAPTEK XX. 

I LAY IN A SUPPLY OF POULTRY 1 ASTONISH A COUPLE OF MEX- 
ICANS — Their singular movement — "Council of war" — 
Return again to my old quarters — Find a road across 

THE brake at last ENCOUNTER WITH TWO BEARS. 

As I did not know how long it might be before I should 
have a chance at ''fried chicken" again, I determined to take 
toll out of the poultry about this house. With the assistance 
of Scout I soon caught and killed two fat pullets and a duck, 
which I tied on the outside of my knapsack. I then took a 
plain road running near the house and nearly parallel with 
the brake, and when I had gone about a mile I met with an 
adventure that terminated in the most singular and unac- 
countable manner. The road at that point was about a quar- 
ter of a mile from the brake. How it happened I did not 
see them sooner, I cannot imagine, unless I had fallen into 
what the negroes call a ''fit of the mazes," but at any rate I 
suddenly found myself nearly opposite to two Mexican sol- 
diers who were seated on the grass about forty paces to the 
left of the road. One of them was armed with a musket and 
the other with a lance, similar to those I had seen used by 
Mexican cavalry. Near them a horse, saddled, was grazing, 
and one of the soldiers held the end of his lariat in his hand. 
I have since thought the horse must have been lying down 
until I came near them, as otherwise I think I would have 
seen him sooner. As I have stated, it was a quarter of a mile 
at least to the nearest part of the brake, and the idea flashed 
across my mind that after all my narrow escapes I was cer- 
tainly caught at last. Retreat to the brake I knew was im- 
possible, as they could easily overtake me on the horse, and 



118 Early Times in Texas. 

for a moment I stood irresolute not knowing what course to 
pursue. But the very hopelessness of the case produced a 
feeling of recklessness as to consequences, and I leisurely 
continued my way along the road; at the same time trying 
to look as unconcerned as possible and as if I didn't know 
(and didn't care) that a Mexican soldier was within five miles 
of me. All the while however, I was watching them closely. 
As I passed them, they made no movement except to turn 
their heads and gaze at me apparently in the utmost astonish- 
ment, which considering the figure I cut, just at that time, is 
not to be wondered at. There is not the slightest doubt that 
I presented a very singular and anomalous appearance. I was 
tanned by long exposure to sun and weather until I was nearly 
as dark as an Indian; my cap resembled a Turkish turban, 
the leather front having been long since carried away in some 
of its frequent encounters with green briers and other thorny 
shrubs; my hunting shirt was ragged and blackened with 
smoke, and my pantaloons, or what remained of them, were 
buttonless, and held up by a broad leather belt, from which 
a tin cup hung dangling on one side and two long carving 
knives on the other, and to complete this unique costume, my 
shoulders were surmounte4 by a portly knapsack, to which 
were tied the two pullets and the duck I had just killed. This 
*'tout ensemble" of course accounts reasonably enough for 
the astonishment with which the soldiers gazed upon me as I 
passed, but still it does not satisfactorily explain their subse- 
quent movements, especially as they could plainly see that 
with the exception of my two carving knives, I had no arms. 
However, they did not move until I had gone forty or fifty 
yards beyond them, when both suddenly rose to their feet and 
hastily mounted their horse, one behind the other. I of course 
supposed they intended to pursue me, but to my great wonder 
and astonishment as well as relief, they went off in the oppo- 
site direction, across the prairie, as fast as they could urge 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 119 

their horse on with whip and spur. The one mounted behind 
had a short heavy whip called a "quirt,'' and as far as I could 
see them distinctly, his quirt was incessantly and vigorously 
applied to the flanks of their steed, and every now and then 
I could see them looking back as if they expected me to pur- 
sue them. 

What they took me for I am at loss to imagine, but if they 
had taken me for Old Nick himself I would not have quar- 
reled with them on that score, in consideration of the expe- 
ditious manner in which they had left the field — not staying 
even to say "adios." 

For fear, however, I might not prove to be such a terrible 
object to other straggling parties of Mexicans whom I might 
possibly meet with on this road, I left it, and did not halt un- 
til I came to the brake. There I stopped to rest a while, and 
hold a "council of war" with Scout, as to what was to be done 
next. Scout, although he expressed no opinion on the sub- 
ject, I know was strongly in favor of going back to the '^flesh 
pots of Egypt," and finally we agreed to return to our old 
quarters. I had noticed an old axe there in one of the out- 
houses on the place, and I determined to set to work regu- 
larly and cut my way with it through the brake, if it took me 
a month to do it. It seemed very strange to me at the time, 
that the settlers on old Caney did not cut roads through it 
when they retreated before the Mexican army. But subse- 
quently, v/hen I mentioned the matter to one who lived on 
Caney when the settlers abandoned their homes there, he told 
me that all living on the south side had cut roads from their 
houses across the brake, but that in every instance they had 
some circuitous way to reach them, and that no sign of a road 
was visible on the edge of the brake. This statement was 
confirmed to some extent by the fact that no one, unless close- 
ly searching for it as I was, would have suspected the exist- 
ence of a road where I found one. 



120 Early Times in Texas. 

In pursuance of the course 1 had determined to follow, 
after resting a while, Scout and I started back to our old 
quarters, and about an hour before sunset I crossed the strip 
of cane and the bridge of logs over the bayou and entered 
the little prairie in which my domicil was situated. As I was 
proceeding leisurely towards the house, it occurred to me 
that it might be well to examine again the north side of the 
prairie bordering the main brake which heretofore I had only 
partially done. With this intention I left the path I was fol- 
lowing, and when I had gone a few hundred yards I came to 
a trail leading towards the brake along which the marks of 
wagon wheels were dimly visible. This I followed until it led 
me into an indentation in the brake, which was so narrow and 
so well concealed by bushes and cane as to be barely percep- 
tible at the distance of a few paces. Still following the traces 
of wagon wheels, I came on the farther side of this nook to 
a newly cut road wide enough for the passage of a wagon 
and team, 

I was satisfied that at last I had found what I had been so 
long in search of, but in order to assure myself of the fact, 
I followed the road for nearly half a mile into the brake, and 
as it still ran on in the same direction I was convinced it 
would take me through. By this time the sun had set, and I 
concluded to return once more to my old quarters, and make 
an early start in the mornine;. 

As I walked along my attention was suddenly drawn to two 
large black objects in the road a short distance ahead of me. 
I stopped a moment to ascertain what they were, and as I did 
so, Scout gave a low growl and retreated behind me. By the 
dim light that struggled through the overlapping canes I at 
length discovered that these black objects were two large 
bears, standing perfectly still in the road, and apparently 
waiting for us to come up. For an instant I thought of re- 
treating, but on reflection, as I had never heard of any one 



Adveniures of Jack Dohell. 121 

being attacked by black bears unless wounded, I screwed up 
my courage (nearly breaking the screw-driver in the attempt) 
and resolved to pass them if I could. There was no chance 
to go around them, for the cane was so thick on both sides of 
the road, I might almost as well have tried to penetrate a 
solid wall. So I drew my longest carving knife, and boldly 
(apparently) advanced towards them. They stood perfectly 
still until I was within eight or ten feet of them, when they 
commenced growling, and looked so large and ferocious, and 
so bent on disputing my right of way, I felt more than half 
inclined (as Scout had done already) "to tuck my tail" and 
beat a hasty retreat. But I knew it was too late to turn back, 
and that any show of timidity would embolden them to attack 
if Ihey had not intended doing so. I therefore continued to 
advance, and my apparent boldness seemed to daunt them a 
little (if they had only known how badly I was scared I am 
sure they would have seized me) and when almost near enough 
to have touched them, one of them sullenly drew off to one 
side of the road and one to the other, and Scout and I passed 
between them. As we went between them, they showed their 
white teeth and growled so fiercely that every instant I expect- 
ed they would rush upon us, but they did not, nor did they at- 
^tempt to follow us. All the while Scout kept close at my heels 
with his tail between his legs — the first and last time I ever 
saw him completely cowed. 

It is asserted that the black bear never attacks a man, un- 
less wounded or brought to bay, and I do not say positively 
that these two had any intention of making their supper on 
us, but to say the least of it, their bearitig towards us was ex- 
ceedingly suspicious; and besides, I thought they might just 
as well kill a fellow at once as to scare him to death. At any 
rate Scout and I congratulated ourselves (at least I know I 
did), when we were once more safe within the four walls of our 
house. 

9 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Preparations for the Road — Settle my Board Bill with 
A Promisory. Note — Bid Farewell to imv comfortable 
quarters and leave — Immense Cane Brake — Dodge a 
Mexican Soldier, and a Party of Indians— Bears around 
Camp. 

I rose early next morning to prepare as much provision for 
the road as I could conveniently carry. I cooked the duck 
and one of the pullets I had killed the day before (Scout and 
I had demolished the other for breakfast), and ground a gal- 
lon or so of meal on on a steel mill. Besides these, my sup- 
plies consisted of five or six pounds of bacon, several pounds 
of sugar, two pounds of coffee parched and ground, some salt 
and pepper, and two bottles of honey. This, I .^thought, with 
care would last us eight or ten days, even if we found noth- 
ing on the road. I also had a tin cup for making coffee, and 
of course my two carving knives which I had sharpened on 
a whetstone were as keen as razors. For these I had made 
scabbards out of a piece of leather and sewed them to my 
belt. When ready to start I scribbled with a bit of charcoa 
the following ''due bill" upon the wall of my sleeping apart- 
ment: '•' an American captured by the Mexicans but es- 
caped from them at Goliad, is indebted to the proprietor of 
this house for one week's board and lodging and some extras, 
and will pay the same on demand." The extras referred to 
consisted of articles of clothing, pipe and tobacco, etc. This 
note has never been presented for payment, and I suppose it 
is barred now by the statute of limitation — nevertheless, I 
would cheerfully pay the principal now — but not the interest, 
for that would put the amount far above my present assets, and I 



Adveniares of Jack Dohell. 123 

should be compelled to take the benefit of the Bankrupt Act. 
Having thus settled my board bill on such easy terms, I shoul- 
dered my knapsack, stuck my carving knives into my belt, 
and followed by Scout, I took my way towards the road I had 
found the evening before. 

Just as I was entering the brake^ I turned to take a last look 
at the house that had been a haven of rest to me after my 
wanderings in the wilderness, and I experienced a feeling of 
regret when I thought that in all probability I should never 
see it again. There 1 had truly been "the monarq'" of all I 
surveyed." I could loll upon the sofas — tumble up the beds — 
wipe the mud from my boots on the rugs ariu carpets — smoke 
tobacco (by no means of the best quality) in the drawing 
room — select my own "menu" from the well stored pantry 
and the poultry in the yard — and there was none to say me 
nay. Even now I look back with pleasant recollections to 
my sojourn in those comfortable quarters, for it was the only 
time I ever had complete and undisputed control of such an 
establishment. "Peace to its ashes" if, as is highly probable? 
it was subsequently burned by the Mexicans. 

As I passed the place where I had encountered my doubt- 
ful friends the two bears the evening before^ I noticed many 
of their tracks in the mud on the side of the road. They 
were very much like the tracks made by a /^are-footed man 
(no pun intended for I detest puns), except that the heel part 
was as long as the toe. After traveling I suppose between 
three and four miles, crossing on the way a sluggish bayou, 
over which I "cooned it" on a fallen tree, to my great satis- 
faction I saw light ahead, and in a short time came to the 
open prairie. 

At that day as I have before stated, nearly the whole of the 
bottoms on old Caney was covered by an unbroken cane- 
brake sixty or seventy miles long and from three to five in 
width. This I had from others who were settlers in that por- 



124 Early Times in Texas 

tion of the country at an early day, and -the statement is 
probably correct. The soil of this brake is exceedingly fer- 
tile, and the time will come no doubt, when it will be con- 
verted into one continuous sugar and cotton plantation. At 
the points where I saw it, it was a dense mass of cane, briers 
and vines, with here and there a scattering tree growing in 
their midst. Bears, panthers, wild hogs and other *'var- 
mints" were very numerous in it and along its borders. 

About half a mile below the place where I came out into 
the open prairie, I saw a house near the bottom, and as I had 
made it a rule to search every one I passed for guns and am- 
munition, I started with that intention towards the one in 
question. I kept well under the shelter of some timber bor- 
dering the brake, to screen myself from the view of any one 
who might be about the premises. In this timber I struck a 
plain trail leading towards the house, which I took. I followed 
it perhaps a hundred yards or so, when as I turned a short 
bend in the path, I caught sight of a Mexican soldier, with 
his gun on his shoulder, walking rapidly towards me. Luck- 
ily a dense growth of bushes bordered the path at the point 
where I then was, and although I had but little hope the 
Mexican had not seen me, I instantly sprang into the bushes 
and laid down among them. Scout, who evidently had not for- 
gotten tVie choking I gave him on a previous occasion, quickly 
followed me, and took his station by my side. It seems, how- 
ever, the Mexican did notice us, for he came on, and passed 
within six feet of us without halting. I could almost have 
touched him with my longest carving knife, and if he had 
been a little weakly chap I think I would have been tempted 
to spring suddenly upon him as he passed and give him a 
tussle for his gun, but he was a big strapping fellow, and I 
knew I would have no chance of coming off winner in a hand 
to hand encounter with him, even if I had not been hampered 
with a heavy knapsack, and other "impedimenta." I con- 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 125 

eluded therefore that "discretion was the better part of valor," 
and did not move until he was hidden from my view by a 
turn of the path. 

As it was evident he came from the house I had seen, and 
as I thought it highly probable there were "more of the same 
sort'* there, I gave up the idea of searching it for guns, for 
fear I might find more of them there than was desirable; so 
I gave it a wide berth, and striking off through the woods 
to the right I came out again to the prairie two or three miles 
below. 

The day was cloudy and dark, and I couldn't see the tim- 
ber on the opposite side; consequently I could form no idea 
of its extent. Besides (having made a late start on account 
of being delayed in preparing provisions for the road), the 
sun was by this time getting pretty low, and I thought it best 
to encamp for the night and start anew in the morning. 

In a little open space just within the brake, separated from 
the prairie by a very narrow strip of cane I pitched my camp; 
in other words, I pulled off my knapsack, and stretched my- 
self upon a bed of dry grass which I had cut with a knife. 
It was too early to cook supper, and as I had no dread of 
wild beasts till dark, I did not start a fire, and very fortunate 
it was for me I had not done so. I was just falling into a doze, 
when Scout gave a low growl and at the same moment I heard 
the tramping of horses' hoofs. I looked through an opening 
in the strip of cane between me and the prairie and saw five 
or six Indians who were driving a number of horses, coming 
along the edge of the brake. Just as they were opposite to 
the spot where Scout and I were lying, two of the horses broke 
away from the "caballada," ran through the strip of cane and 
nearly over us. One of the Indians started after them, and 
was crossing the strip of cane, when the two runaways seeing 
Scout and I lying upon the ground, suddenly wheeled and ran 
back to the prairie, and the Indian turned also and followed 



126 Early Times in Texas. 

them. If he had come six feet further he must inevitably 
have seen us. As it was he did not discover us, and the In- 
dians and their drove of horses soon passed out of sight. 

These two *^close calls'* both occurring the same day, con- 
vinced me that I had but little chance to make my way safe- 
ly through a country swarming with roving bands of Mexicans 
and Indians; and yet, although I passed their recent en- 
campments at several places, I never saw an Indian after- 
wards, nor a Mexican, except some squads of cavalry a long 
way off on the prairie. 

During the night I heard bears crashing through the cane, 
and splashing in the water of the pool near which I was en- 
camped. The number of bears at that day on old Caney was 
so great I cannot imagine how the settlers there managed to 
raise hogs unless they kept them constantly penned up. The 
next morning I saw many of their tracks on the edge of the 
pool, where they had been digging up some kind of plant with 
a bulbous root. 



CHAPTEK XXII. 

Prairie on fire — I start a counter fire — Narrow escape 

FROM drowning — LoSE MY KnAPSACK AND ALL MY "GrUB" 
BUT SAVE MY TINDER — A MiRAGE — MEXICAN CaVALRY — 

Meet with two spies from the Texan Army and return 

WITH them. 

The next morning as soon as I had eaten breakfast and 
Scout had "cleaned up" the fragments, I set off towards a 
long line of timber that was just barely visible on the farther 
side of the prairie. Not a great while after I had started I 
noticed a long way off to the west, a column of smoke rising 
up, which I supposed indicated an encampment of Mexicans 
or Indians in that quarter. When I had traveled perhaps 
three or four miles, I observed that this smoke was increasing 
rapidly in volume and extent, and that it appeared to be ap- 
proaching the direction I was going. Then, for the first time 
it occurred to me that the prairie was on fire, and I began to 
be seriously apprehensive that the fire might overtake me be- 
fore I could reach the timber. The grass of the last season's 
growth was from fifteen to eighteen inches in height, and as 
dry as tinder, and it seemed very probable, with the stiff 
breeze blowing at the time, that the fire would overtake me 
before I could gain the opposite side of the prairie, still five 
or six miles distant. I hurried on as fast as I could, but be- 
fore I had gone two miles further, I was convinced that escape 
by flight was impossible. I had heard old frontiersmen say, 
that the only thing to be done in a case of this kind, was to 
"fight fire with fire." I took my flint and steel from my 
pocket, ignited some tinder which I wrapped in a wisp of dry 
grass, and swinging it quickly backwards and forwards in my 



12S Early Times in Texas. 

hand, it was soon in a blaze. With this I set fire to the grass 
ahead of me, and in a few moments I had the satisfaction of 
seeing my counter fire sweeping the grass that grew in the 
direction I was going. 

By this time the wall of fire extending in a long line across 
the prairie behind me, was swiftly moving towards me. Al- 
ready I could see bright tongues of flame flashing out at 
intervals through the dense column of smoke, and a dull con- 
tinuous roar, like the distant beating of surf on a rock bound 
shore, was distinctly audible. Hundreds of deer, antelope 
and other animals came scampering by me in the wildest 
terror, and numerous vultures and hawks were seen hovering 
over the smoke, and occasionally pouncing down upon rab- 
bits and other small animals, roused from their lair by the 
advancing flames. The nearer it came the faster it seemed 
to come, and I could see blazing tufts of grass borne along 
by the wind setting fire to the prairie sometimes fifty or a 
hundred yards ahead of the main fire. But by the time it 
had reached the place where I had set my counter fire going, 
the grass for several hundred yards was burnt off", and of 
course the fire was arrested there for want of fuel. I had 
nothing to do but follow the track of the fire I had started, 
which cleared the way before me as I went, and rendered 
walking much less fatiguing than it otherwise would have 
been — verifying the truth of, the old saying "that it is an ill 
wind that blows no good." 

In about two hours after I had set my counter fire going, I 
came to the outskirts of the timber for which I had been 
steering, and through which I continued my course until I 
was stopped by a deep bayou. On the bank of this bayou, 
in a little open space not twenty feet square, I pitched my 
camp, and from the fallen trees around I collected fuel enough 
to keep my fire going all night. There I soon prepared a 
meal Irom the provisions I had in my knapsack, to which i 



Adi)entures of Jack Dohell, 129 

and Scout did ample justice as we had not tasted food since 
early in the morning. As it was still several hours till nighty 
I employed myselt in repairing my dilapidated wardrobe with 
a needle and some thread I had found in my house on Old 
Canev. 

Nothing occurred to disturb my slumbers during the night. 
The next morning after breakfast I shouldered my knapsack 
and started again. The bayou on which I had camped, 
though the current was very strong, looked so narrow I thought 
I could easily swim it without taking off my knapsack; so I 
plunged in at once, but unfortunately when I had about 
reached the middle of the stream, one of the straps that held 
it in position gave^ way, and in an instant the rapid current 
twisted it around my neck, and I went down with it like a 
stone to the bottom. I exerted myself to the utmost to free 
myself from it but without success, until I thought of my 
carving knives. With great difficulty I drew one of them 
from the scabbard (it seemed to me that everything about 
me was tangled up) and cut the strap that fastened the knap- 
sack around my neck. The moment I was freed from it I 
rose to the surface, puffing and blowine; like a porpoise, and 
half strangled with the water I had sv/allowed much against 
my will, for I was not in the least thirsty. Scout having no 
knapsack to encumber him, had already reached the opposite 
shore, and was running up and down the bank, whining most 
dolorously, and showing plainly his anxious concern for my 
safety. I quickly gained the shore myself after coming to 
the surface, but alas ! I was compelled to leave my precious 
knapsack which contained our whole supply of provisions, 
at the bottom of the bayou. However, I was very glad to 
get out of the scrape as well as I had done. 

The first thing I did after reaching the shore, was to exam- 
ine the condition of my tinder, and I was glad to find that 
but little water had penetrated the greased cloth in which it 



ISO Early Times in Texas. 

was wrapped, I took it out and spread it in the sunshine, so 
that what little moisture it had imbibed might evaporate. If 
I had lost my tinder as well as my provisions, I would have 
been in a truly pitiable condition. 

When I had partially dried my clothes, I set out again in 
my usual direction, which led me for some distance through 
a thick growth of underbrush, from which I finally emerged 
into open post oak woods. I went on through these until 
nearly sunset, when the howling of wolves warned me that 
it was time to select a suitable place to encamp. I chose a 
spot in a thick grove on the margin of a pond. There I 
started a fire, and as I had to go to bed supperless, I deter- 
mined that at any rate my bed should be a good one. With 
one of my carving knives I cut a quantity of long dry grass, 
which I spread before the fire, on which I and Scout after the 
mishaps and fatigues of the day slept soundly till morning. 

As soon as it was daylight, as I had no breakfast to cook 
and eat, I was on my way again, and in a little while I came 
to a prairie, on the farther side of which I saw a forest and a 
large lake near it. Towards this lake and forest I steered my 
course, but after traveling some distance, I was astonished to 
find that apparently they were as far off as when I first saw 
them. Whilst I was wondering at this, I noticed that the lake 
and forest were each moment growing more indistinct, and 
at length they vanished altogether, and in their place nothing 
was visible but the level expanse of the open prairie. I knew 
then that the appearance of this lake and woods Was an opti- 
cal illusion termed a "mirage," produced by some peculiar 
state of the atmosphere. I have frequently seen them since 
on the plains in the west, and on several occasions have beea 
cruelly tantalized when suffering from thirst, by the sight of 
lakes that disappeared before I could reach them. 

After traveling a while longer, I saw some distance ahead 
of me a grove, and still further on a forest was dimly visible. 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 131 

At first i thought it probable that these also were only the 
ghosts of a grove and forest, and that they too would disap- 
pear and give me the slip, but they proved to be the "genuine 
articles.'* To this forest I steered my course, guided by the 
intervening grove. I saw several squads of Mexican cavalry 
on the way, but they did not come near me, and I avoided 
observation simply by lying down on the ground, until they 
had passed by. But what astonished me much was, that 
these squads were all traveling in a disorderly manner towards 
the west. It soon occurred to me, however, that the Mexican 
army must have met somewhere with a signal defeat, and 
that those I saw were straggling detachments from their 
routed forces. I have no doubt this supposition was correct, 
for the battle of San Jacinto, in which Santa Anna was taken 
prisoner, was fought and won by the Texans under Gen. 
Houston, a few days previously. 

About noon, I came to the grove that had served me as a 
landmark to guide me on my course, and feeling somewhat 
fatigued, I laid down just outside of it to rest a while. I had 
been there but a few moments when I had practical evidence 
that the vast distance at which the buzzard is said to see a 
carcass on the ground, had not been exaggerated. When I 
laid down not a buzzard was in sight, although I had an un- 
broken view for miles in every direction, but in less than five 
minutes, half a dozen of them were wheeling and circling 
above my head, and coming lower and lower, evidently for 
the purpose of ascertaining if Scout and I had been killed 
long enough to suit their fastidious taste. "My friends," said 
I, "on this occasion you are a little too 'previous' — you have 
come very near several times having the satisfaction of pick- 
ing my bones, but to prove to you that I am not as yet a fit 
subject for a 'post mortem' feast, I'll move on.'* The first 
movement I made satisfied them on that point, and they de- 
parted as quickly as they had come. 



132 Early Times in Texas. 

Continuing my course, about sun set I came to a deep and 
rapid stream, which I know now was the San Bernard, and I 
encamped for the night on the bank. By this time I was suf- 
fering much from hunger, but there was nothing in camp to 
eat, and I and Scout were compelled to satisfy the cravings 
of our appetites as well as we could, by going to sleep. The 
poet calls sleep **tired nature's sweet restorer," and under 
ordinary circumstances, no doubt there is some truth as well 
as poetry in the saying, but when a fellow has had nothing to 
eat for several days, and his bed is the naked ground, sleep 
as a restorer isn't a marked success — at least I was just as 
tired and hungry when I woke up the next morning as I was 
when I laid down. However, I was in hopes that I might 
find a settlement on the other side of the river where some- 
thing to eat could be had, and without any preparation ex- 
cept simply tying my cap on my head securely to keep my 
precious tinder from getting wet, I plunged into the turbid 
stream closely followed by Scout. The water was very cold, 
but I soon crossed over and ascended the bank that rose up 
almost perpendicularly thirty or forty feet on that side of the 
stream. 

When I got to the top of the bluff, I discovered a house a 
few hundred yards above me, to which I turned my course. 
As it was all open prairie on that side of the river except a 
few scattering groves, I had a good chance to reconoitre 
the premises before approaching them, and seeing nothing to 
indicate that the house was occupied, I went up. It proved 
to be a single log cabin, in rather a dilapidated condition, 
and had been ransacked by some plundering party of Mexi- 
cans who had taken or destroyed any provisions that might 
have been there, except a handful of corn I found in a barrel. 
As I was thoroughly chilled after swimming the river, I con- 
cluded I would build a fire in the chimney for the double 



Adventures of Jack Dobell. 133 

purpose of drying my clothes and parching the corn I had 
found . 

There was but one door and one window to the cabin, 
both on the same side, and while 1 was busily engaged in 
parching corn, my attention was drawn to a grating sound in 
the direction of the window, and turning to look, I saw the 
muzzle of a gun protruding through it. But Scout had no- 
ticed it, too, and giving a savage growl, he sprang at one 
bound through the window, and at the same instant almost I 
heard some one rip out an oath in good, King's English, and 
exclaiming "come take your dog off," in such choking ac- 
cents as convinced me there was urgent need of haste. I ran 
out immediately, and with some difficulty forced Scout to let 
go the grip he had taken upon a thick woolen comforter, 
which fortunately for him, my visitor had wrapped around 
his neck. 

After he had somewhat recovered from the surprise and 
alarm into which the unexpected onset of Scout had thrown 
him, he asked me where I was from, and how I came to be 
out there all alone among the Mexicans and Indians. When 
I had satisfied him on this point, he told me that he and a 

Capt. D were out on a spying expedition, and seeing a 

smoke coming out of the cabin chimney where I was carry 
ing on my culinary operations, they had come to the conclu- 
sion that a party of Mexicans had halted there. After a con- 
sultation as to the best mode of proceeding, it was deter- 
mined that Capt. D should remain with the horses under 

cover of a grove a few hundred yards from the cabin, whilst 

his companion, Mr. H , should cautiously approach it on 

foot, and ascertain the strength of the party within. If too 
strong for them to contend with, he was to fire upon them 
through the door or window and then make his retreat as 

fast as possible to the grove where he had left Capt. D 

and the horses. But in arranging this programme, they did 



134 Early Times in Texas, 

not consult Scout, who revenged himself in the manner I 
have stated. Afrer giving me this information and telling me 
that the Texans had whipped the Mexicans at San Jacinto, 

etc., Mr. H gave a whoop (the preconcerted signal for 

Capt. D to come on), and in a few moments he rode up, 

leading H 's horse and another one, which to my great 

satisfaction I found was well packed with provisions. As I 
have stated, I already had a fire under way, and in a little 
while a pot of coffee was simmering on it, and a haversack 
of eatables, biscuits, potatoes, cold ham, etc., was spread 
upon the floor. Those biscuits! I shall never forget them I 
None of your little thin flimsy affairs, such as are usually 
seen on fashionable tables, but good solid fat fellows, each 
as big as a saucer, and with dark colored spots in the center, 
where the "shortening" had settled in the process of baking. 

When the coffee was ready I was invited to "pitch in,'* 
which I did promptly and without any pressing, after casting 
a contemptuous look towards the little pile of parched corn 
on the hearth, which I had previously prepared for my break- 
fast. 

As well as I remember, I think I was dealing with my fifth 
biscuit, and was looking longingly toward the sixth, when 
Capt. D mildly suggested that in his opinion I had bet- 
ter "knock off'' for a while for fear of consequences. To this 
I made no reply except to seize the sixth biscuit, and while 

1 was disposing of that, Capt. D expeditiously cleared 

the board, and deposited the remainder of the provisions in 
the haversack. We then mounted the horses (the pack ani- 
mal having been turned over to me) and in a day or so we 
reached the Brazos, where a portion of the Texan army was 
encamped. 

I have nothing further to add, except that when I left for 
the "States" a month or so subsequently, finding it impossi- 
ble, owing to the crowded condition of the schooner in which 



Adventures of Jack Dohell. 135 
I sailed to take Scout with me, I gave him to my friend H , 



who promised me he should be well taken care of. Many 

years afterwards I met with H at Austin, and he told me 

that Scout lived to a good old age, and died the respected 
progenitor of a breed of dogs that were highly prized for their 
valuable qualities. 



[the end.] 



THE YOUNG EXPLORERS; 

Or, Continuation of the Adventures of Jack Dobell. 



CHAPTER I. 

Leave for Texas again — In the cluiches of a pretty 

GIRL and a "fair, FAT AND FORTY" WIDOW — ARRIVE AT NeW 

Orleans—Gale on the Gulf— Ariuve at Galveston — 
Description of the city — Leavk for Houston — De- 
scription OF THE CITY — ARKANSAS JAKE — FiND AN OLD 
SCHOOLMATE — AGREE TO GO WEST WITH HIM. 

After my return to Kentucky, I soon grew tired of civilized 
life and left again for Texas. At Louisville, I took passage 
on the steamboat Abeona for New Orleans. At that time the 
Abeona was one of the *'crack boats" on the river, though 
she would hardly rank now as^a respectable scow. She was 
crowded with passengers, mostly merchants returning to 
New Orleans from the northern cities. All went well until 
the second day of the voyage, when the Abeona struck a snag, 
which knocked a hole in her bottom as big as a barrel. 

iVhen the accident occurred, we were near the middle of 
the river, and the pilot at once turned the bow of the boat 
towards the shore. I knew very well, from the violence of 
the collision, that a hole had been made in the bottom of the 
boat, and that in all probability she would fill and sink before 
she could reach the bank, I therefore^ took my station upon 
the guards, with the intention of jumping overboard as soon 
as I saw she was going down. I had not the least idea of 

10 



2 The Young Explorers. 

being drowned, as I was a good swimmer; and as all on board 
were strangers to me, I was not particularly interested about 
the safety of anybody except '*No. i," 

Such a scene of uproar and confusion I never before wit- 
nessed! Women and children running here and there pro- 
miscuously, screaming, crying and praying for some one to 
save them; and the men (many of them worse scared than 
the women) were rushing hither and thither, some dragging 
trunks after them, others lugging their valuables of different 
kinds, and all seemingly for no purpose except to carry them 
from one part of the boat to another. I had often wondered 
how it was that so many people were drowned by the sinking 
of boats, even when they were very near or touching the 
shore, but the mystery was now explained. A great many 
people, in imminent danger, lose their presence of mind and 
are unable to decide upon the proper course to be taken. 
This is a mental defect, and does not indicate a lack of cour- 
age, for I have known men who would face dangers boldly, 
show this irresolution and want of presence of mind in emer- 
gencies requiring prompt action, where there was no question 
of personal safety. When a steamer, for instance, is about 
sinking, people huddle together in crowds, those who could 
and would save themselves being drowned by those who from 
excitement or fright are unable to save themselves. 

Whilst I was looking on in astonishment at this scene of 
confusion, two women rushed up to where I was standing, and 
grabbing me by my arms, begged me to save them. One 
was a big stout woman, forty or forty- five years old, dressed 
in black, and, as I learned aftei wards, was a widow in mourn- 
ing for her third, but the other was a very pretty young girl. 
I don't know, but I am inclined to think, if they had both 
been "fat and forty'^ that I would have tried to break away 
from them by "main strength and brutality," but as it was, I 
thought it rather pleasant than otherwise to have the pretty 



The Young Explorers. 3 

girl clinging so tightly to my arm, though I knew it was high- 
ly probable when the boat went down, that we would all go 
lovingly to the bottom together. So I stood still and endeav- 
ored to quiet their fears by telling them there was no danger, 
that the boat would soon reach the shore, etc.; but I overdid 
the thing entirely, for I succeeded in satisfying the pretty 
young girl there was no danger, and she le/ go my arm, whilst 
the triple widow, in spite of all I could say, mended her grip, 
and continued to dance frantically around me, even after it 
was evident that all danger was over. I had given myself up 
for lost and booked for a place in "Davy Jones' locker," 
when luckily the boat ran upon a sand bar and stuck hard 
and fast— the water coming to within a few inches of the cab- 
in floor. Finally the three-ply widow loosened her grip upon 
my arm, and, feeling very grateful to "bars" in general for 
my lucky escape, I went to the one inside the boat and took 
"a lemonade with the privilege" — in other words, three fin- 
gers of old Bourbon with a very small slice of lemon in it. 
We remained on the sand bar until next morning, when the 
passengers on board the water-logged Abeona were transfer- 
red to another steamer going south. 

On my arrival in New Orleans, I was just in time to secure 
a passage on board of a schooner bound for Galveston, called 
the Twin Sisters, the Two Follies, or the Three Brothers, I 
don't remember now exactly which, though I know the name 
was intended as a compliment to two or more of the same 
family — a very admirable arrangement it seems to me, when 
there are more members in a family than schooners. 

Among the passengers on board, there was a wild, reckless 
fellow by the name of Gildart, who took great pleasure in 
doing things he knew would be considered "uncanny" by the 
superstitious sailors. One of their superstitions is, that the 
wind can be made to blow by whistling for it; but sailors 
themselves don't often attempt to "raise the wind" in this 



4 The Young Exploiters. 

way for fear of overdoing the thing and raising a cyclone. 
Another superstition among them is, that if you stick a knife 
in the main mast a hurricane will be sure to follow in the 
course of a few hours. 

One evening when the wind was light and baffling, Gildart 
came on deck, and after whistling long for a breeze, he step- 
ped up to the main mast and stuck his knife in it. "Dom my 
bloody eyes,'' said one of three or four old tars who were 
watching his proceedings, "you'll have more wind than you 
want before morning, my hearty, if you don't you can stop my 
grog." By a singular coincidence, an hour or so afterwards 
it clouded up, and began to blow great guns, and by sunset 
we were scudding under bare poles before the most furious 
gale I have ever encountered in the Gulf of Mexico. For 
nearly twenty-four hours the gale continued without inter- 
mission, and everything that was not securely fastened was 
washed from the decks by the seas that occasionally broke 
over the vessel. Everybody on board was more or less sea 
sick, not even excepting the captain and sailors. As for my- 
self I was too sick to be frightened by the howling of the 
wind, the rush of the waters and the violent rolling and toss- 
ing of the vessel, and I laid in my berth the whole time, car- 
ing but little whether the schooner kept afloat or went to the 
bottom. Sometimes one side was uppermost and then the 
other — sometimes my head was elevated at an angle of 45 
degrees and then my position was reversed and my feet were 
turned to the zenith, and although I had cast up my accounts 
to a fraction at the commencement of the row, I stil contin- 
ued "retching" for my boots — in fact, I was truly a ^'wretch- 
ed" being. (No pun intended.) If Lord George Gordon Noel 
Byron had been in that berth with me I would have forgotten 
all about Childe Harold, Don Juan and Giaour, and only re- 
membered those nonsensical lines of his, 



The Young Explorers. 5 

•'Oh! who can tell, not thou vain slave of wantonness and 

ease, 
Whom slumbers soothe not, pleasures cannot please, 
The exulting sense, the pulse's maddening play, 
That thrills the wanderer of the trackless way.'' 

And taking advantage of a favorable lurch of the vessel when 
he was at bottom and I on top, I would have choked Lord 
George, etc., till he was black in the face. 

When the storm abated and the waters had calmed down, 
I felt as if I was a cross between a stewed witch and a wilted 
cabbage leaf, and Gildart, the author of all our ills (at least 
the sailors said so), was in no better plight. He may laugh 
at the superstitions of sailors, but I am pretty sure he will 
never stick his knife into the main mast again. 

In a day or so after this bout with old Neptune, we reach- 
ed the city of Galveston. The city at that time consisted 
mainly of a wharf, two or three hundred box houses or shan- 
ties, and the hulk of a river steamboat stranded on the beach 
during a gale, and utilized as a "hotel." After landing I was 
fortunate enough to secure a berth (No. 20) at the hotel, on 
the lower side. I say fortunate, because the hotel lay careen- 
ed at an angle of about 25 degrees, and the occupants of the 
berths on the upper side were compelled to "chock their 
wheels" to keep from rolling out, which was not conducive 
to quiet slumbers. 

After I had seen all the "lions" of Galveston (and it didn't 
take me long), I inquired of the captain (I mean the landlord) 
when he thought of leaving for Houston. He said he had no 
idea of leaving for that place before next fall, when he was in 
hopes another equinoctial gale would set his hotel afloat, but 
as there seemed to me a good deal of uncertainty about that, 
I paid my passage (I mean my bill) and went aboard of a 
small steamer bound for Houston, where I landed in due 
course of time. 



€ The Young Explorers. 

The city of Houston at the time of my arrival there, co*- 
tained perhaps a hundred log and frame houses, and some 
forty or fifty canvas shanties— the latter occupied principally 
by gamblers and vendors of villainous compounds under the 
names of whisky, brandy, etc. Congress was in session whea 
I arrived, and a great crowd from all parts of the country had 
collected there. The accommodations for travelers were 
upon a very limited scale, and many were compelled to **biY- 
ouac" in the open air under the shelter of neighboring trees. 
I was fortunate enough, however, shortly after my arrival, to 
meet an old acquaintance who was living in the city, who 
''knew the ropes," and by his assistance I secured a cot in the 
principal hotel, and a chance now and then at a table pretty 
liberally supplied with beef and corn bread. I hired a negro 
boy to carry my trunk to the hotel, and after seeing it safely 
deposited in the office, I concluded I would take a stroll 
around the city and have a look at the lions. All the money 
I had (about five hundred dollars in Louisiana bank bills) 
was in my trunk, and as I wished to purchase some little ar- 
ticles in town, I unlocked it to get a ten dollar note. After 
I had taken the bill from a roll I kept in a large pocket book, 
together with a number bf miscellaneous papers, I put it back 
in the wallet and was in the act of relocking ray trunk whea 
I accidentally happened to look through an open door into 
an adjoining room, and discovered a man watching my pro- 
ceedings apparently with great interest. The moment he saw 
that I noticed him, he turned away quickly and left the room. 
I was young and inexperienced and unsuspicious of every 
one; nevertheless, the idea struck me that as I *'was a stran- 
ger in a strange land" it would perhaps be prudent to put my 
money in my pocket and take it with me. I therefore took 
the roll of bills from the wallet, thrust it in my waistcoat 
pocket, locked the trunk and walked off to the city — the ho- 
tel being a little way outside the corporate limits. 



The Young Explorers. 7 

At that day there was truly a hard set congregated in Hous- 
ton. It seemed to me that the sole business of most of them 
was drinking liquor and playing cards, varied now and then 
by a little recreation in the way of ''target shooting" at each 
other with their double barrel guns and derringers. I was 
walking leisurely along Main street, when 1 heard the reports 
of two or three pistols in rapid succession, and shortly after- 
wards I noticed a small crowd collected in front of a shanty, 
over the door of which was a board with the following legend 
inscribed on one side: ''The First Chance," and on the other 
*'The Last Chance," thus appropriately soliciting the custom 
of thirsty wayfarers, coming into or going out of town. 

I stepped up to one of the crowd collected around this 
^'juicery" and enquired if anything unusual had happened. 
^•No," said he, '^nothing moreen common. Bob Sprowls and 
Arkansaw Jake had a little misunderstanding 'bout a game 
of poker just now, and Jake 'upped him' with a derringer, 
that's all." "And where is Sprowls now?" said I. "Well, 
some of his friends carried him off to the drug store to see if 
the doctor could do anything for him, but I reckon he can't 
do much for a fellow that's got a half ounce bullet through 
his lights." "And where is Arkansaw Jake now?" I asked. 
-'Have they arrested him?" "Arrested thunderation!" replied 
my informant, ''you must be green from the States— he's ia 
there," pointing to the door of the juicery. "Seth Blake has 
taken Spowls' hand, and they are finishing the game— and by 
the by, my young man," he continued, "you'd better git out 
of the range of that door, fori hearn Arkansaw Jake jess now 
tell Seth he was renigging, and I reckon 'twont be long afore 
another derringer goes off." 

I got out of the range of that door promptly and returned 
to my hotel, satisfied that the "lions" of Houston were an 
unique species, and withal very dangerous animals to tamper 
with. 



8 The Young Explorers. 

I had purchased some little articles in town, and going into 
the office to deposit them in my trunk, I discovered that it 
was missing. I immediately hunted up the landlord and in- 
formed him of the disappearance of the trunk. He said he 
could not imagine how it was possible for any one to have 
carried it off unobserved, as he had seen the trunk himself in 
the office only a few moments before I came back. Never- 
theless, it was gone. Every place about the premises was 
closely searched, but it could not be found, so I gave it up 
for a ''lost ball;" still I could not but ^congratulate myself 
upon my precaution in taking my money out of ^it before it 
was stolen. 

The landlord seemed to take the loss of the trunk very 
much to heart, and he made every effort to trace it up. His 
perseverance was at length rewarded with success, for a man 
he had employed to search a strip of woods near the house, 
found it and brought it back. The lock had been broken off, 
but on examination I ascertained that none of the contents 
had been taken (although among them there was a fine pair 
of derringer pistols and other things of value), except the 
portly looking pocket book, in which I had kept my roll of 
bank notes and a number of papers "of no value to any one 
except the owner," and precious little to him. After break- 
ing the lock, it was evident the thief had hastily seized the 
pocket book which was lying on top of the other contents, 
and thinking that no doubt he had secured the prize, made 
off at once without stopping for further examination. This 
circumstance convinced me that the thief was the veritable 
individual I had seen watching my movements at the hotel.' 

I can well imagine what his disappointment must have 
been when he ascertained that in place of bank bills the cor- 
pulent pocket book was filled with only worthless papers, 
among which I remember were some lugubrious verses to my 
sweetheart, Jenny B., instructions for training pointers and 



The Young Explorers. 9 

setters, etc., together with various cherished mementos in the 
shape of locks of hair, "faded flowers," etc. I could imag- 
ine that thief singing, '* 'Tis but a little faded flower'^ as he 
sadly rummaged the contents of the portly pocket book. I 
was very much grieved, it is true, at the loss of these dear 
'•relics''; nevertheless, I was somewhat consoled by the re- 
flection that all of my "available funds" had not disappeared 
along with them. Such was my first introduction to the city 
of Houston. 

In the evening I walked out to see if I could find an old 
school-mate of mine, who, I supposed, was somewhere in the 
city, as he had informed me in a letter written about six 
weeks previously, that he had been appointed to a clerkship 
in the House of Representatives. I went to all the boarding 
houses in the place but could get no clue of his whereabouts. 
At length I thought of applying to the members of the House 
and was informed by one of them that my friend, Mr. Pitt, 
was lying very ill at the house of an acquaintance of his who 
lived about a mile out of town. I immediately hurried off" to 
the only livery stable in the place and asked the keeper if he 
could furnish me with a saddle horse for an hour or two. He 
looked at me dubiously for a moment, and then asked me if 
I could "stick a horse pretty well." Yes, said I, rather faintly, 
for I had not forgotten my former attempt at backing a mus- 
tang, "I believe I am a pretty fair rider." "All right," said, 
he, "then I can accommodate you," and going into a shanty 
he called a livery stable, he soon returned dragging at the end 
of a rope a white-eyed vicious looking mustang, with a de- 
cided Roman nose, and with his shoulders and hips covered 
with Egyptian hieroglyphics. I didn't like the appearance 
of the brute at all, but I was determined to ride him at all 
hazards rather than admit I was *'a-young-man-afraid-of-his- 
horses," I, therefore, walked up to him with the intention 
of mounting him, but on my near approach he plunged and 



10 The ' Young Explorers. 

*'cavorted" at such a rate there was but little chance for any- 
thing less active than a monkey to get into the saddle. 
"Hold on a bit" said the man, ''until I slip the blind over his 
eyes." "Blind," said I, "what is that?" **Why, you see, 
Cap.," said he (I was promoted to a Colonelcy in a short 
time), as he slipped a broad band attached to the bridle over 
the mustang's eyes, "you see, Cap., these Texas mustangs 
come from the ginerwine Arab stock, and among other good 
pints they has they won't let a stranger git on 'em tell they 
are blindfolded, which saves many a one on 'em from bein' 
carried off bertwixt two days." 

The moment the blind was drawn over the mustang's eyes 
he stood as still as a statue; I stepped up, seized the bridle 
and put my foot in the stirrup, but I suppose I showed some 
hesitation about mounting, for the man said encouragingly, 
''Oh! you needn't be affeard of him for Sol Larkins gin him 
a round this mornin' and I know from the look of his flanks 
that he's tuck most of the 'pitch' out'n him for to-day — Sol's 
a hard rider, he is." I screwed up my nerves to their ut- 
most tension, clinched my teeth and sprang into the saddle. 
The man let go the bridle at the same time, but the mustang 
didn't budge an inch. "What's to be done now," said I, 
"this horse can't travel blind -folded ? " "In course he 
can't," said the man, "raise up the blind." I reached for- 
ward and drew up the band from the mustang's eyes, fully 
expecting to find myself the next moment turning a somer- 
sault over his head, but he went off" as slowly and gently as a 
broken down tacky — which in fact he was. "Crackey!" ex- 
claimed the man in affected astonishment as I rode off at a 
funeral gait, '*Sol has tuck the pitch out'n that mustang and 
no mistake," and I soon found he had taken everything else 
out of him in the way of get up, for it was only by the per- 
sistent use of whip and heels that I was able reach my desti- 
nation in the course of time. 



The Young Explorers. 11 

Dismounting at the gate I hitched my noble Arab to a post 
and went in. The proprietor of the house met me at the 
door, and when I told him I was an old acquaintance of Mr. 
Pitt, and would like to see him, he led me at once to his 
room. As I had been informed, I found him very ill, indeed, 
with a violent attack of bilious fever. He was dilirious and 
did not recognize me. I told the landlord that as Mr. Pitt 
was an old school-mate of mine I would take it as a great 
favor if he would permit me to remain with him until the 
crisis of the disease had passed. To this he readily assented, 
and I hired a man to take my "tartar of the Ukraine breed" 
back to the stable, and a note to my landlord requesting him 
to send out my trunk and other traps. 

For several days my friend Pitt lay at the point of death, 
but at length a favorable change took place and he rapidly- 
recovered. As soon as he thought his strength was suffi- 
ciently restored to enable him to travel on horseback (the 
only way at that time of getting from one place to another in 
Texas), he proposed to me that I should accompany him on 
a visit he had promised to pay a relative of his who lived in 
a frontier settlement about the head of the Lavaca river. I 
told him my object in coming to Texas was to see the coun- 
try, and that I would be glad to go with him. So the matter 
was promptly settled and we set about making preparations 
for the trip. The next morning I went into town to purchase 
a horse, saddle and bridle, and some articles I would need 
on the road. Luckily I met with an acquaintance from Ve- 
lasco who had an excellent horse he wished to dispose|of, as 
he intended returning home by water. This horse was not a 
"noble Arab" but a full blooded American, well broke, gen- 
tle and fleet, just such a one as I wanted, I purchased also 
a Mexican poncho or blanket, a saddle and bridle, a pair of 
spurs, a staking rope, a cabressa made of horse hair, two 
quart cups and some sugar, coffee, bacon, etc., for I knew 



12 The Young Explorers. 

that houses were *'few and far between" in the country we 
would travel through, and that we would have to camp out 
almost every night until we reached the settlement where Mr. 
Pitt's relative lived. 

When I had made my purchases I tied them all to my sad- 
dle, and mounting my steed returned home to make what fur- 
ther preparations might be needed for our journey. I had 
brought a good rifle and a large pair of derringer pistols with 
me from Kentucky, so that I was saved the trouble of hunt- 
ing up arms, without which at that day no one ever ventured 
outside of the towns and villages. My friend had a splendid 
half breed horse which he had broken and trained himself, 
and a good rifle and pistols, so that the next morning we had 
nothing to do but to mount our steeds and set off" on our per- 
ilous trip through the woods and prairies. I say perilous, be- 
cause at that time the Indians frequently raided the country 
through which we would have to pass, stealing all the horses 
they could find, and murdering every one who was so unfor- 
tunate as to fall in their way. 

But the possibility of losing our scalps made but little im- 
pression on Mr. Pitt and myselt and we jogged along through 
the woods and over the green prairies in high spirits, think- 
ing only of the glorious sport we would have hunting and 
fishing when we reached our destination on the Lavaca. 

My friend was still quite weak from the efl"ects of the 
severe spell of fever he had had at Houston, and the first day 
we traveled only about twenty miles, and stopped two or 
three hours before sunset at a fine pool of water near the 
edge of a beautiful grove of elms and hackberries. Beneath 
one of these I made a pallet for Mr. Pitt on the green grass, 
and after I had unsaddled and "staked" out the horses I 
took my rifle and started towards a herd of deer I saw in the 
prairie, to get some venison for supper. I soon found that 
there would be but little trouble to do that, for the deer were 



The Young Explorers. 13 

as tame as goats. I singled out a fat doe and taking deliber- 
ate aim just behind its fore shoulder I fired, and it fell dead 
in its tracks. So unused were these deer to being hunted that 
in place of running away at the report of the gun they gathered 
about the one I had shot down, seemingly curious to find out 
what was the matter with it, and I am sure I could have 
killed several others if I had wished to do so; but one was 
more than enough, and I only took the saddle and a ham 
from that, with which I returned to camp. We started a fire, 
stuck our venison up before it on spits, and soon had a sup- 
per prepared, for which our ride had given us '^famous appe- 
tites." After supper we took a whiff from our pipes and then 
when we had restaked our horses on fresh grass we wrapped 
our ponchos around us, laid down on the soft grass, and slept 
soundly till morning. 

It required but little time to get breakfast, as our venison 
was already cooked, and there was nothing to do but boil 
the coffee. After breakfast we brought up the horses, sad- 
dled them, and were soon on the way again. In a little 
while we came to the Brazos river, which we crossed at a 
ferry lately established, and then struck off in a southwest 
direction across the wide expanse of prairie between the Bra- 
zos and San Bernard rivers. The weather was pleasant, and 
the gently rolling prairie covered with green luxuriant grass 
and decked with a variety of wild flowers spread out before 
us as far as the sight could extend. 

On every side we could see numerous herds of deer (some- 
times as many as fifty or even a hundred in a drove), that 
were so tame they scarcely raised their heads to gaze at us, 
although the dim trail we were traveling would often take us 
within a few paces of them. Now and then we saw a herd of 
antelopes, but they were much more timid than the deer, and 
rarely permitted us to come within rifle range. 



CHAPTER II. 

Stop at an "unhealthy" locality — A party of (^omanches 
PAY us A VISIT — Gen. Houston's dispatch — Deceive our 

"BUENOS AMJGOS" — ThE InDIAN SPY CaYOTE RANCHE — 

The proprietor gives us a ''pressing" invitation to 
STOP — Tells us how he captured a green one from 
'*the States" and marched him up to cavote, etc. 

About noon we came to a small stream bordered by a strip 
of post oak woods where Mr. Pitt proposed we should stop 
for a while, and make a cup of coffee. I objected to making 
a halt there because I had been informed the locality was a 
noted camping place of the Indians, but Mr. Pitt insisted on 
stopping, saying he was too weak to travel further without 
resting a while. 

We therefore dismounted under a shady tree, and after 
spreading a poncho on the grass for my friend, I slipped the 
bridles off the horses 'and staked them near by, leaving the 
saddles upon them. I then started a fire and made some cof- 
fee, and with cold venison and hard-tack we dined very sat- 
isfactorily. After dinner Mr. Pitt laid down upon his poncho 
again, and in a few moments he went to sleep. I laid down 
also on my blanket, but I determined to keep awake, for I 
knew we were in a dangerous locality, and that it would be 
prudent for one of us to be on the lookout. I therefore seat- 
ed myself at the foot of a tree and watched everything I saw- 
moving on the prairie. 

There is nothing that disposes one for sleep so much as the 
idea that it is absolutely essential we should keep awake. 
My eyelids were getting to be very heavy, and I was begin- 
ning to lose consciousness in the stupor that was fast creep- 



The Young Explorers. 15 

ing over me, when I chanced to look back somewhat to the 
left of the direction we had come, and saw some objects sev- 
eral miles distant on the prairie. I was wide awake in a mo- 
ment, and watching them closely, soon perceived that they 
were men on horseback, apparently traveling rapidly towards 
us. I roused up Mr. Pitt at once, telling him I thought a 
party of Indians were coming to attack us, and then ran to 
our horses and brought them up quickly. Slipping the bits 
into their mouths, we mounted them, and with our guns in 
our hands quietly waited until the horsemen should approach 
near enough to enable us to ascertain whether they were 
white men or Indians. 

When they had come within half a mile or so of us, we 
could plainly see they were Indians by their dress (or rather 
their want of it) and the long lances they carried. ''Well,'' 
said I, *'Mr. Pitt, there is no doubt now that they are Indians, 
and it is time we should determine what we are going to do. 
Shall we run or fight? We can easily distance their ponies on 
our horses with the start we shall have, and if you say so we'll 
be off." ''I am too weak,'' Mr. Pitt replied, '*to run my horse. 
I could not possibly hold out for a long chase." "Then," 
said I, "we must fight," although I candidly confess I should 
have preferred '^changing my base," for by this time I had 
counted the Indians and there were just fifteen of them — 
which certainly was very great odds for two to contend 
against. 

When they had come within five or six hundred yards, they 
halted for a moment, and then suddenly dashed towards us at 
full speed, whooping and yelling like devils incarnate. I 
suppose they thought to frighten us so badly by this maneu- 
ver that we would endeavor to escape by running, and, to tell 
the plain truth, they partially succeeded, for although I did 
not run, and was not scared exactly "into a cocked hat," I 
was into one I think would not have been considered greatly 



16 The Young Explorers. 

out of fashion when cocked hats were worn — but my friend^ 
Mr. Pitt, was as cool as a cucumber. 

When the Indians had approached to within seventy or 
eighty yards of where we were, we leveled our rifles upon 
them and made signs to them to stop. They took the hint 
and drew up at once. A more cut-throat looking set of scoun- 
drels I had never seen before in my life. They had nothing 
on in the way of clothing except a cloth tied around their 
waists and their quivers slung across their shoulders, and 
their almost naked bodies were painted in the most hideous 
and grotesque styles. I noticed one fellow, in particular, who 
had a black ring around one eye and a white one around the 
other, which gave him somewhat the appearance of a gigan- 
tic owl, the resemblance being augmented by a number of 
feathers with which he had adorned his head. Another was 
painted in imitation of a skeleton (he must have been a fun- 
ny fellow), with alternate white and black stripes across his 
breast to represent ribs. Another had adorned himself with 
variegated splotches of red, white and black paint, and a 
pair of buffalo horns were fastened upon his head by means 
of a bright metallic Uand that encircled it. All were armed 
with bows and lances except two who had old fashioned sin- 
gle barrel flint and steel shot guns. 

Mr. Pitt and I sat upon our horses trying to look as uncon- 
cerned as possible, but as for myself I rather think that if 
the Indians had been a little nearer, they would easily have 
discovered there was not much danger of my hitting any one 
unless 1 shot with the "double wabble." 

But when they drew up in the manner I have before stated, 
one who seemed to be in command of the party, rode out a 
little way in front of the others, and spoke to us in Spanish. 
"Buenos dios, amigos," said he. I returned his salutation in 
the same language, and he then asked me who we were and 
where we were going. I told him we were Texans traveling 



The Young Explorers. 17 

from Houston to the city of Goliad. *'Are you traveling 
alone?^' said he. Thinking a little prevarication would be 
excusable under the circumstances, I told him that a party 
of ten Americans were on the road behind us, and that we 
had stopped there to wait for them to come up. 

Whilst the chief and I were holding this confab, I noticed 
that the other Indians were slowly moving towards us, and I 
told the chief to order them to halt or we would fire upon 
them. He turned to them and said something in Indian, 
which of course I didn't understand, and they halted at once. 
I saw that my impromptu fib had produced the desired effect, 
for the chief then rode up to us alone, and holding out his 
hand, said, '^^mericanos buenos amigos." (Americans good 
friends.) "Yes," said I, very well satisfied with the turn af- 
fairs had taken, and shaking the proffered hand of the chief, 
^'Americanos buenos amigos." 

''What are you going to Goliad for?" said the chief. 

"We are carrying dispatches," I replied, "from Gen'l Sam 
Houston to the Alcalde,^' and I put my hand in my pocket 
and drew out my credentials in the shape of an old receipt 
I had of my current expenses at the Cit)ifc Hotel in New Or- 
leans, which I presented to the chief. The dispatch was as 
follows: 

"Mr. Dobell, 

To City Hotel, Dr. 

For 7 days board @ ^2.50 $17.50. 

" 32 juleps at bar 3.20- 

'* 4 doz. Havanas 9.60. 

" 20 "White Lions,'* at bar 4.00. 

^' Dinner for friend i.oo. 

Washing and extras 3«oo- 



n 



Total $40.30. 

Received payment. 

George Finlay." 
11 



18 The Young Exploiters. 

The chiei turned the document up side down, and examin- 
ed it closely; particularly the bar items of 32 juleps and 20 
**white lions," but his suspicions of the authenticity of the 
dispatch were not aroused, and he handed it back to me with 
a grunt of admiration, and repeated over and over, "Gen'l 
Houston big chief, good flen Comanche." He then asked 
me to give him some powder, and in my anxiety to keep on 
friendly terms with him and his cut throat set, I hurriedly 
poured two or three loads from my powder horn into Gen'l 
Houston's dispatch, and wrapping it up tightly, handed it to 
him. I do not think he noticed my cavalier treatment of the 
General's official document, as otherwise he might have had 
some suspicions of its authenticity. He then asked me for 
some tobacco, and taking a plug from my pocket, I cut off a 
portion and gave it to him. After he had a^ain shaken hands 
both with Mr. Pitt and myself, and repeating over his phrase 
of "Americanos buenos amigos," he wheeled his horse and 
rode back to his men. I was much afraid our "hollow truce" 
would not result in a lasting peace, but after '^palavering" a 
few moments with his men, the chief went off at a gallop 
across the prairie, and his men followed him, brandishing 
their lances and yelling like a pack of wolves. 

Mr. Pitt and I remained stationary as long as the Indians 
were in sight (waiting patiently for the party of ten Ameri- 
cans to come up), but as soon as they were hid from view by 
a strip of timber through which they passed, our patience 
was exhausted and we determined to wait no longer. We put 
spurs to our horses and never drew rein until we had gone at 
least a dozen miles. By this time the sun was pretty low, and 
leaving the trail at dusk, we went off about half a mile to the 
left and encamped in a little nook surrounded everywhere 
except a narrow entrance, by dense chapparal. Within this 
nook we staked our horses, after eating a cold snack for sup- 
per (for we did not venture to make a fire for fear the Indians 



The Young Explorers. 19 

might have discovered the ruse we had played upon them, 
and followed us), we laid down upon our blankets and slept 
soundly till morning. We subsequently heard that a party 
of four men (I believe Mexicans) were killed and scalped a 
day or so after we had passed, at the very place where our 
"buenos amigos" had paid us a visit. I have no doubt at all 
that our "good friends" were "in at the death, '^ and that they 
intended serving us in the same way had not the little "bluff 
game'' we played upon them prevented them from doing so. 

The next morning we were up by daylight, and after a 
hasty breakfast, we mounted our horses and took the way 
back to our trail, as we were anxious to leave as soon as pos- 
sible, for fear our very "good friends" might pursue us. 
Nothing of interest occurred on the road that day, and about 
an hour before sunset we pitched camp near a deep water 
hole in the prairie, around which a few live oak trees were 
growinsj. 

This water hole was evidently fed by subterranean springs, 
for it was very deep and the water was so clear that I could 
plainly see fish swimming in it, to the depth of six or eight 
feet. The fish looked very enticing, and I thought some of 
them would make a good addition to our supper, but how to 
catch them was the question, as we had neither hook, line, 
pole nor bait. But I had not forgotten a lesson I had been 
taught by an old frontiersman. I pulled out half a dozen 
long hairs from the tail of my horse, which I tied together 
and made a very good line for small fish. I then took a pin 
which I found sticking in the collar of my vest, and bent it 
into the requisite shape for a hook with my teeth (a feat I 
could not possibly perform now), and fastening it to one end 
of my line, and the other to a tall, dead weed I found on 
the bank, my tackle was complete. In the meantime, Mr. 
Pitt had captured, with his broad brim hat, some fat grass- 
hoppers, and with these for bait, in less than fifteen minutes 



20 The Young Explorers. 

I had a dozen fine perch fluttering on the bank. These were 
wrapped, still "alive and kicking,^' in pieces of dampened pa- 
per, and covering thiem with hot ashes, we roasted them like 
potatoes — an excellent way of cooking fish. 

To the west of the water hole there was quite an elevation 
in the prairie, near the top of which there grew a narrow 
fringe of chapparal. After supper, whilst Mr. Pitt and I were 
reclining upon our ponchos, smoking our pipes and talking 
over the occurrences of the day, I happened to look in the 
direction of this fringe of chapparal on top of the hill, and 
thought I saw some dark object moving slowly behind it. 
I said nothing about it to Mr. Pitt, but continued to watch it 
closely. In a few moments I plainly perceived an Indian's 
head cautiously rise up above the fringe of bushes. "Mr. 
Pitt," said I, "cast your eyes in the direction of those bushes 
on the hill, and tell me what you see." "Why," said Mr. 
Pitt in an excited tone, "I see an Indian's head peeping above 
them, and the rascal no doubt is spying out our camp. Let's 
go and bring up the horses at once." "No,'' said I, "keep 
still and don't let him suspect we have seen him. As soon as 
he has made his reconnoisance of our camp and marks the 
place where our horses are staked, he will return to his com- 
rades, wherever they are, and make his report, and they will 
certainly attack us if we should remain here for the night. 
My opinion is, it will be best to stay here until it is dark 
enough to conceal our movements, and then we will saddle 
our horses and leave for some healthier locality." 

To this Mr. Pitt agreed, saying the course I advised was 
the best to pursue; but that he didn't like being driven away 
from our comfortable camp. "Neither do I," said I, "but on 
the whole, I believe I prefer a little discomfort to running 
a risk of having my hair lifted by those marauding rascals." 
And so it was determined that we would leave as soon as it 
was dark. 



The Young Explorers. 21 

But in order to deceive the fellow who was watching us 
from the top of a hill, and to convince him we had encamped 
for the night, I got up leisurely, threw more sticks on the 
fire, and then went out and restaked our horses on fresh 
grass. The ruse evidently had the desired effect, for in a few 
moments I observed the spy cautiously creeping off behind 
the bushes, no doubt thinking we intended to stay all night. 

As soon as he had left I rolled a couple of the largest logs 
we had collected for fuel endwise to the fire, and covering 
them with leaves and grass and one or two old newspapers, 
we made a pretty fair imitation of two men wrapped in their 
blankets — at least sufficiently good to deceive any one at a 
little distance, after dark. 

By this time night had fairly set in and saddling our horses 
we mounted and rode off in the direction opposite to the one 
taken by the spy. The night was perfectly clear, and we had 
no difficulty in keeping the course we wished to pursue. We 
had gone perhaps a couple of miles when we distinctly heard 
the report of several guns in the direction of the camp we 
had left. ''Dobell," said Mr. Pitt, ''the logs are catching it 
now, and I think it much better to be killed and scalped by 
proxy than in 'propria persona.' " ''Yes," said I, "and my 
log is perfectly welcome to every bullet and 'dog-wood 
switch' that was intended for me." 

There is no doubt the Indians had attacked our camp and 
had fired upon the logs, supposing, of course, they were Mr. 
Pitt and myself wrapped up in our blankets. The nest was 
warm but the birds had flown, and you may be sure the re- 
port of guns did not retard their flight. Spurring up our 
horses we rode rapidly on for six or eight miles and then 
halted as we had done the night before in a small open space 
almost entirely surrounded by dense chapparal. Dismount- 
ing we staked our jaded horses on the grass, spread our 
blankets on the green sward and were soon fast asleep. 



22 The Young Exploiters. 



The next morning after a cold snack for breakfast, as we 
did not think it prudent to build a fire, we mounted our 
horses and took the way back to our trail. Shortly after we 
came to it we struck a heavily timbered bottom, near the 
edge of which we saw a house about half a mile to our left. 
Towards it we directed our course, but before we had gone 
more than two hundred yards we saw a man on horseback, 
with a deer tied behind his saddle, come out of the timber a 
short distance ahead of us. The moment he observed us he 
started off in a gallop towards the house, but finding we did 
not pursue him he halted until we got near enough for him to 
see we were white men, and then turned to meet us. As he 
rode up, he said, "Hello! strangers, which way are you trav- 
eling ?" We told him we were going to a settlement on the 
head of the Lavaca; providing the Indians didn't **bag'^ us 
before we got there. "Well," said he, *'it's expressly against 
orders for any one to pass Cayote ranch without stopping, so 
you may as well ^hold up your hands' and come along with 
me." *'If that's Cayote ranch," said I, pointing to the 
the house, "we were just going there." "Oh well, that's all 
right,'' said he, ''and you can drop your hands," and we then 
rode on together to the house. When we came to the gate, 
in front of the house, a crowd of little darkies and dogs ran 
out to meet us, and our companion greeted them all by their 
names, but there were such a number of them, crowded to- 
gether, and their names were so similar, I couldn^t tell which 
belonged to the darkies and which to the dogs. 

Dismounting, we entered the house, and had scarcely taken 
the seats offered us, when an old negro woman came in, car- 
rying a coffee-pot and a half dozen cups on a waiter. Evi- 
dently she thought it useless to ask if we would take coffee, 
for she proceeded at once to fill the cups and hand them 
around. When she handed one to me, by the way of a joke, 
I told her I never drank coffee, and the expression of aston- 



TJie Young Explorers. 23 

ishment depicted upon her wrinkled phiz could not have 
been greater if I had suddenly disappeared through the 
floor. But seeing me smile she said, "Shaw, chile, I know 
yous'e jokin'," and poured me out a cup, which I emptied 
with '^ease and elegance." 

At that day it was the universal custom, in Texas, to pre- 
sent a cup of hot coffee to the visitor as soon as he entered 
the house, and even yet, especially in thinly populated parts 
of the country, the coffee-pot is kept continually on the fire. 
So generally was the beverage used that the expression, "as 
common as coffee for breakfast," was as common among the 
old settlers as coffee itself. 

Whilst we were discussing the beverage, our host imformed 
us that he had but lately settled at that place, having moved 
out there only a few months previously from the red lands in 
Eastern Texas, which, he said, were getting to be too thickly 
populated to suit him. He told us we were the first stran- 
gers he had seen in several weeks, and consequently he was 
entirely ignorant of everything that had occurred in the 
*'States" for that length of time. Mr. Pitt drew a couple of 
late New Orleans papers from his pocket (they were not more 
than six weeks old), and gave them to our host, saying he 
would find all the late news in them. He eagerly clutched 
the papers, and I have no doubt he read them faithfully 
through without skipping a single advertisement. Newspa- 
pers in those days were much scarcer in Western Texas than 
— Indians for instance, and I don't believe our host would 
have bartered either of those Mr. Pitt gave him for anything 
of less value than a sack of coffee. 

When we had finished our coffee, Mr. Pitt got up and said 
we had better be moving on, but our host "flew off the hand- 
le" at once, and told us the motion had to be "laid on the 
table," indefinitely, as it was entirely against ^^parliamentary 
rules" for any one to leave Cayote ranch until they had 



24 The Young Exploiters, 

broken bread with him. "It's a fact, though," he added, "that 
very often thete is no bread to break on this ranch, for it is 
twenty miles to the nearest horse mill, but we have a hand 
mill and there's always plenty of ^grits.' I'll tell you a lit- 
tle anecdote,'* continued our host, "to satisfy you there is no 
prospect of your leaving Cayote until to-morrow, at any rate. 
I had been at this place about three weeks, without seeing a 
living soul except my own family and Sol Smith, my nearest 
neighbor, who lives six miles below on Burnt Root, and I 
was getting powerfully hungry for news, as you may suppose. 
One morning I had a kind of presentiment that a traveler 
would come along that day, so I picked up 'Old Bess,' my 
double-barrel shotgun, and went out to the corner of my 
fence near which the trail passes, and 'took a stand' for him. 
In about an hour sure enough I saw my man coming jogging 
along the trail. I knew he was a green one from the States, 
because he had his gun in a leather case tied to the horn of 
his saddle, and no old frontiersman ever carries his in that 
way unless he is with a strong crowd. I hid behind a large 
pecan tree, and waited till I saw he had passed the fork lead- 
ing to Cayote, when I stepped out, and leveling 'Old Bess' 
at him I ordered him to halt. 'My God!' he exclaimed, 'do 
you intend to murder me?' 'Oh no,' said I, 'not if you obey 
orders and report yourself at once to headquarters according 
to regulations.* 'And where's that,' said he. 'Cayote ranch, 
yonder,' said I, 'so march,' and he marched, whilst I fol- 
lowed him with Old Bess at a present. As soon as I had got 
my man safely in the house I began on him, but as I sus- 
pected, he was green from the 'States' and chock full of news, 
and as he was a slow talker and the weather was bad besides, 
he didn't get away from Cayote for a week. So you see, 
gentlemen," continued our host, *'there's no show for you to 
leave here until to-morrow at any rate, for 'Old Bess,' (point- 



The Young Explorers. 25 

ing to the double-barrel on a rack) is in prime order with 
twenty-one 'blue whistlers' in each barrel." 

We laughed and told our host there would be no necessity 
at all to take Old Bess from the rack, as we would willingly 
remain until morning, "But," said I, "I think it only fair to 
tell you that I am a very dangerous kind of character to tam- 
per with in this way. My best girl used to say that I was 
like a hog,— that she had to pull my ears off to get me to 
visit her and then pull my tail off to get me away." 

Our host laughed heartily at my little joke, and said, "All 
right, I've got you by the ears now, and if you stay here a 
month, I'm sure I shan't change 'eends.' To-morrow," con- 
tinued our host, "if you insist on leaving, I will ride with you 
to the Bernard, which is pretty full, and dangerous to cross 
for one who doesn't know the ford." This settled the ques- 
tion, and thanking our host for his hospitable and pressing 
invitation to make ourselves "at home" we proceeded to do 
so without ceremony. Though rather behind the times as to 
recent events, we found our landlord was pretty well posted 
otherwise, and he gave us much valuable information in re- 
gard to matters and things on the frontiers. 



CHAPTER III. 

Leave Cayote ranch — Witness a closely contested race 
BETWEEN Tim McGarity, Pat O'Houlihan and a large 
party of Indians — Tim is distanced, but Pat comes in 
AHEAD — The skeleton in the grove — Arrive in the 
VICINITY OF Goliad — The firing of muskets in honor 
OF St. Patrick keeps us out all night in the brush — 
ToNKEWA Indians— ''Frontier Hall" — The exploring 

EXPEDITION, ETC. 

The next morning, after breakfast, by pleading urgent busi- 
ness, we at length obtained the consent of our host to con- 
tinue our journey, and very reluctantly he gave orders to 
have his and our own horses saddled. Mounting them, we 
followed our host, who led the way, through a heavily tim- 
bered bottom, to the ford across the San Bernard. When we 
came to it he gave us minute directions how to cross it 
safely, and bidding him good-by, we plunged into the stream 
and without difficulty reached the opposite bank. Following 
the directions he had given us, we went on about half a mile 
through the bottom, and then took a newly blazed road to 
the left, which soon led us into the open prairie. Taking 
our course through this, along a dim trail, about noon we 
came to the Colorado river, which was very high, and of 
course not fordable. However, we got a man who had re- 
cently settled near the crossing, to carry our guns and traps 
to the opposite side, in a dug out. Returning, we stripped 
our horses, and whilst our ferryman paddled, Mr. Pitt and I 
pulled them into the river by their lariats, and in this way 
they were soon safely landed on the western shore. Giving 
our ferryman a Mexican dollar, we saddled our steeds and 
took the trail again. 



The Young Explorers* 27 

Our course from this point to the headwaters of the La- 
vaca, where Col. Rivers, Mr. Pitt's relative lived, would have 
been about northwest, but Mr. Pitt had some land matters at 
Goliad which he wished to attend to as speedily as possible, 
and we therefore concluded to take the direct route to that 
place. Not long after leaving the Colorado bottom we came 
to a pretty plain road which we took, as the ferryman had 
informed us it was the main road to Texana and Victoria, 
and from Victoria to Goliad. Between these points there 
were only one or two settlements at the time, and he warned 
us to keep a good lookout for "Injins;" but we saw none, 
although we crossed several fresh trails, and passed one or 
two recent encampments, and nothing of interest occurred 
on the route. 

About noon of the second day after leaving the Colorado, 
we reached the city of Victoria. Victoria at that time con- 
tained about two dozen adobe huts, and a small frame build- 
ing which we never would have taken for a hotel, but for a 
sign swinging in front on which the words "Victoria hotel" 
were faintly written, apparently with a piece of charcoal. 
As Mr. Pitt had been quite unwell all day, we concluded to 
stop at this hotel. 

Our horses had scarcely been unsaddled and turned into 
the corral when a man came dashing through town on a bare- 
back mustang yelling, "Indians! Indians!" as he passed. In a 
moment the whole place was in uproar and confusion ; men 
running here and there in search of arms, women screaming, 
and children crying. Mr. Pitt and I hastily seized our guns 
and ran out to the edge of the village, where we saw half a 
dozen men standing together, and apparently gazing at some 
objects a mile or so distant on the prairie. ^'What's the 
row?" said I to one of the crowd, after we joined them. 
*'Faith and be jabers," said Pat (most of the people at that 
time in Victoria were Patlanders), '*it's looking at a lively 

\ 



28 The Young Explorers. 

race we are out yander betwixt Tim McGarity, Pat O' Houli- 
han and the bloody Injins." I turned my eyes in the direc- 
tion they were all looking, and about a mile off on the prairie 
I saw two men coming as fast as their horses could run 
closely followed by a large party of Indians. I have seen a 
good many races in my time, but I never witnessed a more 
exciting one than this between the two Irishmen and the In- 
dians — except on one or two similar occasions, when I was a 
rider myself. There was no "jockeying" in it. It was all fair 
and square running from the start to the outcome. 

I had scarcely taken in the situation when I heard a shrill 
scream, and looking round saw a bare armed, red faced, strap- 
ping woman rushing up with her loose hair streaming in the 
wind. *'Och ! ye skulking spalpeens," cried Mrs. O'Houli- 
han (for I suspected from the first she was the wife of one of 
the men pursued by the Indians), "Och ! ye skulking spal- 
peens, and are yez going to stand here all day wid yer fingers 
in yer mouth and see me puir Pat murthered before yer eyes. 
Take yer guns, ye cowardly loons, and go out at wanst and 
save a better mon than any of ye.'' But no one stirred, for, 
indeed, it would have been sheer folly for the few men in the 
place to have left the protection of the houses and gone out 
on foot to encounter such an overwhelming force of mounted 
Indians. (There were at least eighty or a hundred, as we 
could plainly see.) *'0 whirra! whirra!" exclaimed Mrs. O'- 
Houlihan, wringing her hands, "me puir Pat will be mur- 
thered before me face, and you, ye chicken-hearted thaves o' 
the worruld, won't crook yer fingers to help him. May the 
widdys and the orphants curse be an ye, and your children's 
childer!" 

At this juncture two or three of the bystanders grabbed 
Mrs. O' Houlihan and carried her off, in the last stages of 
hysterics. 

By this time the race between the two Irishmen and the In- 



The Young Explorers. 29 

dians was evidently drawing to a close. The Irishmen, only 
a few yards ahead of the foremost Indians, were now within 
a quarter of a mile of the village, and we could plainly see 
that McGarity^s horse was failing fast, and that half a dozen 
of the leading Indians must soon overtake him. The poor 
fellow looked back frequently, and seeing the distance be- 
tween himself and his pursuers was rapidly lessening, he 
phed whip and spurs vigorously, but all to no purpose, for in 
a few seconds the grim warriors were alongside of him and 
we saw him fall from his horse, pierced with their arrows and 
lances. His fall made a slight diversion in O'Houlihan's 
favor, by retarding for a moment the pursuit of the foremost 
Indians, but they were quickly passed by others, and it was 
soon apparent he would share McGarity^s fate if something 
was not speedily done to avoid it. We could not stand it 
any longer, and with one impulse the whole crowd exclaimed 
"Boys, let's charge 'em!" and the next instant we were in I 
full run towards the Indians. This sortie was O'Houlihan's 
salvation. Just as the foremost Indians were leveling their 
lances upon him, we were in gunshot of them, and checked 
them by a volley from our rifles. They drew up suddenly, 
and O 'Houlihan promptly taking advantage of the check we 
had given them, in a few moments was safe among his 
friends, who greeted his coming with hearty cheers. The 
Indians advanced no further, and we qnickly fell back to the 
shelter of the houses. 

Pretty soon xMrs. O'Houlihan made her appearance on the 
fiela again, and rushing up to O'HoSlihan she threw her 
brawny arms around his neck and hugged him till he was 
black in the face. I happened to be next to them, looking 
on admiringly at this little conjugal scene, when suddenly 
Mrs. O Houlihan let go Pat, threw her arms around my neck 
and I momentarily expected to be ''garroted," too, but she' 
only gave me a kiss, slightly flavored with onions, and then 



3G The Young Explorers. 

proceeded to favor the rest of the bystanders in the same 
way. "Och!" said she, "byes, I axes ye tin thousands par- 
dins for all the hard wurruds I said to ye, for ye are the true 
grit afther all, and I'll thrate the last one of ye jest as soon 
as Mick Barrigan gits back from Texana wid the kag o' whus- 
key — but divel the drap can ye git tell he comes." 

After the Indians had left we went out and brought in the 
body of poor Tim McGarity, which was horribly mutilated 
and that night he had the ''dryest," and most peaceable 
"wake" 1 suppose that ever fell to the lot of an Irishman, 
for as Mrs. O'Houlihan had truly said, there was not a drop 
of the "craythur,^' to be had in Victoria for love or money. 

The next morning Mr. Pitt and I were on the road to 
Goliad an hour before daylight in order to elude the obser- 
vation of any straggling party of Indians, who might be linger- 
ing in the vicinity. But we saw none, and traveled on until 
about one o'clock in the day, when we halted near a thick 
grove of timber, some ten or twelve miles from Goliad. 
Staking our horses on Ihe outside we entered the grove, and 
whilst looking around for some fuel to start a fire we came 
across the skeleton of a man. It was lying extended at full 
length upon the ground, and from some cause seemed never 
to have been disturbed by wolves or other wild animals, as 
not a bone was missing. 

The moment Mr. Pitt's eyes fell upon the bleached bones 
of this skeleton, he turned deadly pale, and kneeling down by 
the side of it, he covered his face with his hands and wept 
like a child. I said nothing to him, for I knew at once what 
thoughts were passing through his mind. He had lost his 
eldest brother, to whom he was devotedly attached, at the 
Goliad massacre, but he had been informed by some one who 
escaped from that wholesale butchery, that his brother was 
seen several miles to the east of the San Antonio river after 
the massacre took place. I had no doubt, therefore, the idea 



The Young Explorers. 31 

occurred to him that the skeleton we found in the grove was 
that of his brother. At length he got up and began to cover 
the skeleton with leaves and the fallen branches of trees, and 
I assisted him to do so until the task was completed to his 
satisfaction. We then mounted our horses and took the road 
to Goliad again. Previous to this, my friend Pitt had cher- 
ished the hope that his brother had not been killed, but that 
he had been captured after making his escape from the mas- 
sacre, and taken as a prisoner into Mexico; from that day, 
however, I never heard him allude to the subject again. 

We had traveled some two or three miles along the road, 
when we overtook four or five Mexican carts driven by peons 
or serfs. I saw Mr. Pitt scowl upon them as we passed, and 
we had gone but a little distance beyond them, when he drew 
up his horse and proposed to me that we should turn back and 
kill those Mexican drivers. I saw in a moment that he was 
in dead earnest, for his teeth were clinched tightly and his 
eyes gleamed with a ferocity I had never seen before. I did 
my best to persuade him to abandon this bloodthirsty inten- 
tion, telling him I had just as much cause to hate the Mexi- 
cans as he had, but that I would consider it a poor revenge 
for the murder of a brother to retaliate by murdering three or 
four ignorant peons, who, in all probability, had never been 
in the Mexican army in their lives; and besides, said I, if you 
should do-so, you will commit an act you will bitterly regret 
as long as you live. 

But all the arguments I could use seemed to have no effect 
upon Mr. Pitt, and at length he said that if I was afraid to go 
back with him, he would go alone. This nettled me, and I 
told him I would be no more afraid to attack those Mexicans 
than he was if there was any just cause for doing so, but that 
I did not intend to shoot down in cold blood a set of igno- 
rant peons, who, as far as I knew, had never done me an inju- 



32 The Young Explorers. 

ry — that he could do so if he wished, but that I washed my 
hands of such a deed and would take no part in it. 

My persistent refusal to sanction his proposition finally 
brought my friend to his senses, and turning his horse, he 
rode on for an hour or so without saying a word to me. But 
I knew Mr, Pitt's character so well, I was satisfied as soon as 
he had a little time for reflection, that he would be conscious 
I had acted the part of a true friend towards him; and in 
fact, after riding several miles without speaking, he at length 
said: "Dobell, you have saved me from perpetiating a deed 
to-day I would have regretted as long as I lived." Nothing 
more passed between us on the subject, nor was any allusion 
ever made to it afterwards. Before we had gone much further 
Mr. Pitt said he felt quite unwell, and proposed we should 
stop a while under the shade of an oak growing solitary and 
alone in the midst of the prairie. We remained there so long 
that night had set in before we came to the top of a hill from 
which, I know that Goliad is visible in day light. Just as 
we reached the top we were astonished to hear a continuous 
firing of guns in the direction of the town. We drew up our 
horses and listened attentively. The firing was kept up at 
irregular intervals, and at length my friend said to me, "Do- 
bell, what do you suppose is the meaning of that fusillade in 
town?" "Well," said I, ''I really don't know. I left this 
place a year or so ago in rather a hurried manner, and the 
last thing I heard was the firing of musketry, and I suppose 
it has been going on ever since." Mr. Pitt laughed and said, 
"they must have had a good supply of ammunition on hand 
to have kept up a fusillade for that length of time; neverthe- 
less, I can't understand it, unless the town has been attacked 
py Mexicans or Indians. What do you think we had better 
do?" "Well," said I, "I was once in a very tight place in that 
same town of Goliad, and I don't intend to get in another 
there, if I can help it. I think the best thing we can do un- 



The Young Exj)lorers. 33 

der the circumstances, will be to leave the road and encamp 
in some safe place until morning. We can then reconnoitre 
the town from the heights on this side, and find out what the 
^row' is before we venture in.'' 

Mr. Pitt thought as I did, that the course I advised would 
be the most prudent one to follow, and we therefore left the 
road and took a dim trail along the top of the ridge (with 
which I was well acquainted, having traveled it frequentl)'-), 
which led us to the ruins of an old mission. It was surround- 
ed by thick chapparal, which would serve to screen us from 
the prying eyes of any prowling Mexican or Indian, and strip- 
ping and staking our horses in a little open space just large 
enough to afford them room for grazing, we laid down upon 
our blankets without making any fire. 

Whenever we were awake during the night we could see 
the flashing and hear the reports of guns in the town, and we 
came to the conclusion that the place was certainly belea- 
guered by some marauding party of Mexicans or Indians. 
Nothing, however, occurred to disturb us in our snug quar- 
ters. 

x\s soon as day broke I got up and went to a point on the 
hill from where an unobstructed view of the town could be 
had. All seemed peaceful and quiet in the place, and after 
scanning the open country around it closely, and seeing no 
signs indicating the proximity of any Mexican or Indian 
force, I returned to camp and reported to Mr. Pitt the result 
of my reconnoisance. 

Saddling our horses, we mounted them and soon regained 
the road we had left the evening before, which led us to the 
ford about half a mile below the town. Crossing the river 
there, in a few moments we entered the suburbs of the city. 
Seeing a man standing at the door of a shanty, we rode up to 
him and inquired what that shooting was for last night. 

^Xhe fellow laughed, for he knew very well from our arrival 

12 



34 The Young Explorers. 

at such an early hour, that the shooting had kept us out all 
night, and then replied to the question in unmistakable 
brogue: '*And didn't you know, young mon, that this was 
*Saint Patrick's day in the mornin'?' Faith, an' I suppose ye 
thought the Mexicans was givin' us a round and ye was afraid 
to come in." He guessed right the first time. At that day 
the Irish element largely predominated at Goliad — nearly all 
the Mexican population having abandoned the place and 
taken refuge in Mexico. As we subsequently learned, the 
fellow had told us truly, the firing we heard during the night 
was in honor of the '*snake quelling saint. ^' 

There was a part of the Tonkewa tribe of Indians encamp- 
ed not far from Goliad, who at that time professed to be 
friendly to the Texans, though a solitary wayfarer encounter- 
ing them on the prairie in all probability would have had his 
hair lifted. They were a treacherous tribe and in the course 
of time were almost entirely exterminated in their frequent 
contests with the frontier settlers. 

The next morning after our arrival at Goliad, the Tonk- 
ewas to the number of fifty or sixty, mounted upon their mus- 
tangs, rode into town, and invited any of the citizens who 
wished to do so, to go with them on a big deer hunt they in- 
tended to take that day. As I was anxious to see the hunt, I 
mounted my horse and fell into line in company with several 
of the citizens of Goliad. Mr. Pitt declined going, as he was 
still rather weak to take a hand in such fatiguing sport. The 
Indians carried no arms, neither guns nor bows, but each had 
a long lariat or cabresa tied to the horn of his saddle. 

Leaving the town in "Indian file," the Tonkewa warriors 
started off in the direction of the rolling prairies to the south- 
west, where they knew the game they sought was to be found 
in abundance. We followed them closely, as we were curi- 
ous to see their method of lassoing deer, which we had heard 
of but never witnessed. 



The Young Explorers, 35 

After traveling five or six miles, we came to a locality 
where deer were more numerous than I had seen them else- 
where. Large herds, sometimes as many as eighty and a 
hundred in a herd, could be seen in every direction on the 
prairie. Here the Indians halted and separated themselves 
into squads of eight or ten, each squad being under the con- 
trol of a leader. Holding their lariats in their hands, each 
squad then singled out a particular herd from those in sight, 
and slowly advanced towards them until the deer began to 
show signs of alarm, when, whooping and yelling, they charg- 
ed at full speed upon them. My companions and I followed 
on after one of the squads as fast as our horses could go. 
The race was an exciting one, but it was soon ended, for the 
deer were fat, and the Indians quickly overtook them. Then 
the lassos began to whiz amongst the herd, and every now 
and then a deer was caught by the leg or horns and speedily 
dragged to the ground, and as speedily dispatched by the 
scalping knife. In less than an hour after the chase began, 
nearly all the herd we followed was captured and killed, none 
escaping except those in poor condition, which of course 
were not wanted. It was the most wholesale butchery of 
game I had seen. 

When the Indians had killed as many deer as they wished, 
they dismounted from their horses and stripped the hides from 
the deer — occasionally cutting off a haunch or other choice 
piece, leaving the rest of the carcass to be devoured by wolves 
and vultures. I took but little pleasure in witnessing the de- 
struction of so many deer merely to get their hides, and be- 
fore the Indians finished skinning all they had killed, we start- 
ed back to town, each with as much venison strapped to his 
saddle as could be conveniently carried. When deer are fat, 
they can easily be overtaken by one on a "good chunk of a 
pony'^ in the open prairie; but when they are poor, it takes 
a first rate horse and a light rider to overhaul them. 



36 The Young Explorers. 

Mr. Pitt and I remained at Goliad several days, and then 
recrossing the river, we took our course towards the upper- 
most settlement on the Lavaca, where his relative, Col. Riv- 
ers, lived, following as closely as we could a '*way bill" that 
had been given us by an old frontiersman. We fortunately 
encountered no Indians, although we passed severalltrails on 
the way. We traveled but short distances each day, as Mr. 
Pitt had not entirely recovered from the severe spell of sick- 
ness he had at Houston, and it was not until the morning of 
the fourth day after leaving Goliad that we came to outskirts 
of the settlement on the Lavaca. Riding up to the first house 
we saw, we asked a woman who was standing on the porch, 
how far it was to Col. Rivers' place. "Why, bless my soul," 
said she, "you must be strangers in these parts." We told her 
we were. "Kin folks of Col. Rivers, I reckon?'* said she. Mr. 
Pitt owned up to the soft impeachment. "Well, do tell," said 
she, "and where be ye from, now?" Having answered this and 
half a dozen more leading questions, Mr. Pitt inquired again 
how far it was to Col. Rivers' place. "Why," said she, "he's 
our nighest neighbor. We kin e'en a'most hear the chickens 
crowing over there of a right still mornin' — its only five short 
miles." "Will you be kind enough, madam," said Mr. Pitt, 
"to give us the direction how to find the way there?" "To be 
sure," said she. "Do you see that lone tree out yander in 
the perara?" Mr. Pitt said he did. "VVell," said she, "keep 
right straight on to that tree, and arter you pass it 'bout fifty 
or may be so a hundred yards, you will come to a cow trail, 
but don't you take that; go right straight across it, and purty 
soon you'll come to another: follow that tell you git to whar 
it splits, then take the right hand, or ruther, I should say, the 
left hand split, and it'll carry you into the road to Thomp- 
son's mill. Mind though, you take the left hand split." "I 
thought it was the right hand?" said Mr. Pitt. "Did I say 
the right hand? Well I meant the left hand, anyhow," said 



The Young Explorers. 37 

she, "and when you git to the mill road follow that till it 
splits — but you keep the straight forward split to whar it 
strikes the bottom, and there it spran.sjles off, so I can't say 
adzackly which split you do take. Howsomever, 'taint fur, 
anyway, from there to Col. Rivers^and I reckon you won't go 
wrong." 

Mr. Pitt thanked the good lady for her precise and definite 
direction, and we were about to turn our course towards the 
*'lone tree," when she stopped us with another question. 
^'Anything strange," said she "from beyant?" "Strange!" re- 
plied Mr. Pitt, "haven't you heard the news?" ''Good laws!" 
she exclaimed. "No, I haven't. We don't see a body in these 
parts in a coon's age." "And in fact, then, you haven't heard 
the news," said Mr. Pitt. ''No," said she, "I tell you I 
hain't", and her eyes fairly sparkled with eager expectation. 
"Git down, young gentlemen, and 'skin a tater', and then you 
can tell me all about it." "Can't stop," replied Mr. Pitt, 
*'only long enough to tell you the news. Party spirit is run- 
ning so high in the trans-Atlantic States upon the question of 
the next presidential canvass, it is supposed that thousands 
and tens of thousands will have great difficulty in exercising 
the constitutional right of suffrage." 

"Good laws!" exclaimed the old lady, "you don't tell me 
so?" "Yes," said Mr. Pitt, riding off, "it's true as gospel." 
"Do stop a bit, young gentlemen," said the old lady, who 
hadn't understood a word of Mr. Pitt's news, but who was 
convinced from the dolorous expression of his countenance 
that something dreadful had happened somewhere, "stop and 
tell me all about it." "Yes," said Mr. Pitt, riding on, and 
pretending not to hear what she said, "it's a fact, certain," 
leaving the old lady in a paroxysm of unsatisfied curiosity. 

When out of hearing I said, "It was too cruel, Pitt, to ex- 
cite the old lady's curiosity as you have, and then leave 
as you have, without gratifying it, particularly when she was 



38 The Young Explorers. 

so kind as to invite us to ''light and skin a tater." "Not a 
"bit of it,'^ replied Mr. Pitt, ''she deserved it all, and more too, 
for asking us so many questions, and for not giving us definite 
directions about our way." "But the fact is," added Mr. 
Pitt, "I have known a great many women who were intelli- 
gent, smart, and all that, but I have never seen one yet who 
could give directions how to go from one place to another, 
though they had traveled the road dozens of times ; it's a 
curious idiosyncracy of woman kind." "Oh, bosh," I re- 
plied, "the old lady's directions are perfectly plain from the 
lone tree yonder to where the road 'sprangles out' in the bot- 
tom, and we won't have the least difficulty in following them." 
"I hope not," said Mr. Pitt, "for I am tired of camp fare, and 
would greatly prefer a good supper and a comfortable bed 
to-night." 

As we rode along Mr. Pitt gave me a short history of his 
relative. Col. Rivers, and all the members of his family, in 
order that I might form some idea of the folks I would meet 
there. With the Colonel's oldest son, Lawrence, I was 
already well acquainted, as we had been school-mates for 
some time, before the family emigrated to Texas. 

My prediction in regard to the old lady's directions 
proved to be true, and we had no difficulty in following them. 
Just as the sun was setting we came in sight of Col. Rivers' 
house, a large double log cabin, with wide porches in front 
and rear, and situated in a beautiful grove of elms and live 
oaks. 

Mr. Pitt had written to Col. Rivers just before he was taken 
sick at Houston, by some one going to the settlements on 
the Lavaca, that he intended to pay him a visit shortly, and 
his coming was, therefore, not unexpected. As for myself, I 
had no doubt my school-boy acquaintance with his son, 
Lawrence, would insure me a cordial welcome. 

Riding up to the front gate we dismounted, and scarcely 



The Young Explorers. 39 

bad we done so when Col. Rivers and all the boys, a dozen 
darkies, and all the dogs, came pouring out of the house and 
yard to welcome us to Frontier Hall— the name the boys had 
given the place. 

When the row had quieted down a little, Mr. Pitt took ad- 
vantage of the "lull" to introduce me to his relatives, none 
of whom I had ever seen before, as I have said, except Law- 
rence. Willie and Henry, his two younger brothers, proffered 
their services to attend to the horses, and the rest of us ad- 
journed to the house. The inevitable coffee-pot was soon 
brought in, and whilst we were sipping cups of the fragrant 
decoction, I answered, as well as I could, the numerous ques- 
tions propounded me as to what was going on in the "States," 
and what particularly had occurred in Kentucky since they 
left there. Mrs. Rivers and her eldest daughter, Sophia, 
made many inquiries also about the latest styles of bonnets 
worn when I left the "States," and whether or not hoop- 
skirts still maintained their amplitude, or had dwindled in 
circumference. On these subjects I was profoundly ignorant, 
but Mr. Pitt, who either was in reality, or pretended to be 
better posted, came to my rescue, and gave them all the in- 
formation they wanted in regard to the prevailing modes and 
fashions, and consequently he took a high position at once 
in the good opinion of Mrs. Rivers and his cousin. Miss 
Sophia. *'It is a strange idiosyncracy" (as Mr. Pitt often 
said), "the importance the sex attaches generally to dress, and 
'the fashions." "I verily believe," he would say, ''that if one 
'of them was cast away on a desolate island,' with no mate- 
rials for making a dress, except a few yards of old sail cloth, 
she would carefully make it up in the 'prevailing mode'— low 
neck and short sleeves, if such was the fashion— even if the 
islandwasinfested with millions of musquitos and sand-flies." 
[N. B.— As I am only a little on the shady side of "three 
score and ten," and do not wish to injure my matrimonial 



40 The Young Explorers. 

prospects, I take occasion to say that 1 do not endorse Mr. 
Pitt's outrageous slander on the sex.] But, nevertheless, it 
is true that Mrs. Rivers and Sophia were as much interested 
about the fashions, at Frontier Hall, as they could have been 
if they were residents of Broadway, New York. 

After supper Col. Rivers gave me an account 'of his '^ex- 
periences" since he came to Texas. He told me that for 
several months they had to undergo many hardships and pri- 
vations, and that much of his stock had been killed or stolen 
by the Indians; that they had felt the want of many comforts 
and conveniences they had been accustomed to in Kentucky, 
etc., ''but," he added, "we are getting used to it now, and I do 
not regret the move I made. The country is healthful, 
our stock is increasing in spite of Indian depredations, and 
the climate is all that one could wish. There is but one 
thing," he continued, "that troubles me much here, and that 
is the want of schools. I am afraid my boys will run wild, like 
the Indians, and forget all they have ever learned. However,'' 
continued the Colonel, "I am in hopes I shall be able to rem- 
edy this before long. I have secured the services of a com- 
petent teacher, who writes me he will be here in five or six 
weeks, and I shall expect my boys to quit the nomadic life 
they have been leading ever since we came to Texas, and ap- 
ply themselves diligently to their studies. But," added the 
Colonel, "they wish to make the most of the time between this 
and the teacher I have employed, and for some days past 
they have been discussing a scheme for the exploration of a 
tract of almost unknown country, lying about the head waters 
of the Frio, Llano and San Saba rivers. I have not yet given 
my consent to this scheme, but perhaps I may do so if you 
and Pitt will agree to go along with the boys. I have confi- 
dence in your experience and prudence, and would feel much 
less anxiety for their safety if you could be induced to go 
with them." I thanked the Colonel for the good opinion he 



The Young Explorers. 41 

bad of my ''experience and prudence," and assured him, 
speaking for myself, that I would be glad to accompany the 
boys on their proposed expedition. "Very well,'' said the 
Colonel, ''I will think the matter over, but there is no hurry 
about it, as you and Pitt will have to remain here until your 
horses are recruited and in a condition to take the road 
again." ' 

Col. Rivers, though by no means "straight laced" or bigot- 
ed, had been a member of the Methodist church for many 
years, and never neglected to have family worship at night, 
and when bed time came round everybody on the place, 
black and white, were assembled in the dining room, where 
he read them a chapter from the Bible, and offered up a cus- 
tomary evening prayer, after which all retired to their rooms. 

Mr. Pitt, I and the three boys occupied a large "shed 
room" in which there were several beds. As soon as we 
were to ourselves, Willie, the youngest of the boys, said to 
me: "Oh, Mr. Dobell, I'm so glad you've come out here. 
You see pa has written for a schoolmaster, and when he gets 
here we'll all have to turn in to hard study, and give up our 
jolly rides and hunts for a long time; but, before we begin 
on the books, we want to have one famous blow-out, and 
then you see, we can settle down contentedly to geography, 
grammar and all that sort of stuff. Didn't pa tell you about 
it?" "Yes," said I, "he mentioned someting about your want- 
ing to go on an exploring trip, but he didn't tell me he had 
given his consent." "Oh, yes, but he will, I am sure," said 
Willie, "if you and cousin Pitt will go with us (as of course 
you will) and you must talk to pa about it the first thing in 
the morning. I know he will let us go \i yoji will ask him." 
In return for this bit of blarney I assured Willie I would do 
all I could to prevail on Col. Rivers to consent to the pro- 
posed expedition. "But where," said I, "does this unknown 
region lie which you wish to explore?" ''There is a large 



42 The Young Explorers. 

scope of country,^* said Lawrence, **lying about the head- 
waters of the Frio, Llano and San Saba rivers, that has only 
been partially explored, and that is the country we wish to 
examine. The Mexicans say it is a fine region, that there 
are many little rich valleys on the streams, well timbered with 
white oak, pecan, walnut, etc., and that many silver and cop- 
per mines are supposed to exist in the high ranges of hills 
that intersect portions of it. The fact is," added Lawrence, 
"I have had a great desire to visit that section of country 
ever since I came to Texas, and I have spoken so much 
about going to see it 'some of these days' that I have at last 
inoculated Henry and Will with the mania for explorations, 
and they are both crazy to see the wonders of this unknown 
wilderness. The only objection," continued Lawrence, "my 
father has to the proposed trip is, that the country we wish 
to explore, is a favorite resort of marauding bands of Indians, 
who frequently stop in its secluded valleys to recruit them- 
selves and horses, when on their way to and from the settle- 
ments. However," continued Lawrence, "they seldom go in 
large parties, and really I don't believe we would run much 
greater risk in traveling through that country than we do 
here daily riding around and hunting our stock. On the 
contrary, that probably we would not be in as much danger 
there as here, because when we were in the enemy's country 
we would always be on the lookout, and of course would be 
much better prepared in the event that we were attached." 

"You are right about that," said I, "and I think Mr, Pitt 
and I can prevail upon Col. Rivers to give his sanction to 
the 'exploring expedition.' " 

"Hurra! for you, Mr, Dobell," said Willie, "that's the way 
I like to hear you talk, and now that the thing is settled, I'll 
go to sleep, for I must be up soon in the morning, as there 
are lots of things to be done before we will be ready to 
start." 



The Young Exploiters. 43 

The next morning after breakfast whilst we were all still 
sitting at the table, I was given to understand by divers 
winks from Lawrence and Henry, and sundry "overt acts" on 
the part of Willie in the shape of nudges of the elbow in my 
side, that the time was propitious for broaching the subject 
of the "expedition." I therefore made a reconnoisance to- 
wards it, by asking Col. Rivers if there was much country 
still unexplored in Texas. "Oh, yes," he replied, "there is 
a great deal yet that kas never been visited by white men, 
unless it has been bv some wandering trapper or hunter — 
particularly that region of country the boys are so anxious 
to explore. There is but one difficulty I see in the way — or 
rather I should say two, in carrying the project into effect; 
one is for the boys to get their mother's consent to it, and 
the other to get Uncle Seth, as they call him, to take com- 
mand of the exploring party. Uncle Seth," said Col. Rivers, 
observing my look of inquiry, "is an old frontiersman and 
hunter, who lives not far from here, and who is thoroughly 
conservant with the ways of Indians and all the mysteries of 
woodcraft. With Uncle Seth at the head of affairs I should 
have but little apprehension concerning the safety of the 
party." 

''It's all settled, then," said Willie, to me in a whisper, ''for 
Uncle Seth I know will jump at the chance of going, and as 
for ma, me and cousin Pitt together can get around her easy. 
Just let Mr. Pitt go and talk to her a while about the fashions 
and late styles till ske's in a good humor, and then I can get 
her to agree to anything." 

"I think," said Mr. Pitt, "that with proper prudence and 
precaution we will not run much risk of being scalped by the 
Indians — at least not more than we would riding around 
here, hunting and looking after stock." "I am of the same 
opinion," said Col. Rivers, "and as I have told you, already, 
the boys shall have my permission to go 'exploring' provided 



44 The Young Explorers 

they can get their mother's consent, and persuade Uncle 
Seth to take charge of the party." When Col. Rivers had 
thus spoken, he rose from the table, took his broad brim felt 
hat from the peg where he always hung it, and went out to 
attend to the business of the farm. I then turned to Mrs. 
River, and in my blandest and most conciliating manner, 
asked her if she could not be prevailed upon to give her con- 
sent to our going on the exploring trip. '-Well," said she, "I 
don't know. I am afraid the boys will be running a great risk 
and I should suffer from continual anxiety until they re- 
turned." [Here Willie, who thought, I suppose, I was not 
conducting negotiations in a very diplomatic way, whispered 
to me. "Get her in a good humor first — say something to 
her about the fashions or the modes and styles, or something 
of that sort."] "But," continued Mrs. Rivers, "it seems 
you have all set your hearts on this 'exploring expedition' as 
you call it, and I suppose I shall have to give my consent to 
it, but I assure you I do so very unwillingly.'' "Hurrah!" 
exclaimed Willie, giving me a nudge of triumph with his el- 
bow that nearly dislocated one of my ribs, "I knew we'd 
bring ma to terms at last," and he hurried off to impart the 
joyful news of our success to the other boys, forgetting, 
with the heedlessness of youth, the anxiety his mother would 
suffer on his account, during his absence in the wilderness. 

All the time that Mrs. Rivers, Willie and I were discussing 
the subject of the exploring trip. Miss Sophia had never vol- 
unteered an opinion, in fact, I am sure, she never heard one 
word we said, her attention being wholly engrossed by a 
glowing account Mr. Pitt was giving her of the last great fair 
at St. Louis (where I know he had never been in his life), 
winding up with a minute description of the splendid dresses 

worn by the ladies on that occasion. Ah ! that fellow Pitt ! 
There never was one like him in knowing exactly how to 
worm himself into the good graces of woman kind. He was 
all things to all of them. With the sentimental he would 



The Young Explorers. 45 

spout poetry, and talk about "congenial souls," and all that 
sort of thing, for hours. With the staid and sober he was as 
demure as an old tabby cat; with the gay and dashing he was 
bold and forward, and ready for any kind of escapade or 
mischief; with a "blue stocking" he was "literary" and could 
prate knowingly about all the "latest publications," and with 
the elderly ladies (who he said were his speciality)^ his 
studious politeness, and the deep interest he manifested 
whilst listening to detailed accounts of family matters, ren- 
dered him a universal favorite. 

I have seen him sit by the hour when Mrs. so and so, for 
instance, was entertaining the company with a description 
of little Sammy's sufferings when he had the measles, and any 
one, judging from the eqpression of his countenance, would 
have supposed, that in his opinion, "Herod's massacre of the 
innocents," was a mere bagatelle compared to the agonies 

little Sammy had to endure when the measles "struck in." 
And yet Mr. '^itt was a real '^Chevalier Bayard" sans peurat 
sansreproche.'' 

A little while after Willie had left the room, I saw him 
through an open window, making some mysterious signs to 
me, and I went out to see what he wanted. "Mr. Dobell," 
said he, "brother Lawrence has had the horses saddled, and 
he wants you to go with him to Uncle Seth's place and let 
him know what's up. We don't want to lose any time, you 
see, for maybe so Uncle Seth might go off on one of his 
trips, and not come back for a month, which you know would 
'fiustrate' our arrangements." "All right," said I, "I am 
ready to go just as soon as I get my gun." At that day on 
the frontier (and Texas then, out side of the towns, was 
pretty much all frontier), nobody ever thought of going any 
distance from home without arms. Willie ran into the house 
and brought me my rifle and shot pouch, and then went with 
me to the gate where Lawrence was waiting for me with the 
horses. Just as we were starting Willie said, "Be sure, Mr. 
Dobell, to bring Uncle Seth with you, and when you gel back 
you will find all hard at work, fixing up the traps for the 
trip." "Dead or alive" said I, "we'll have Uncle Seth." 



CHAPTER IV. 

Make the acquaintance of Uncle Seth — He finally 

AGREES to take COMMAND OF THE EXPLORING PARTY 

Gives us our first lesson in prairie craft — Cudjo, the 
COOK — Leave Frontier Hall — Camp on Martinez creek 
— Rattlesnake — Cudjo tells what he knows about 
snake charming. * 

After an hour's brisk canter Lawrence and I came in sigh-t 
of Uncle Seth's little cabin, which was snugly anchored 
under the shady boughs of a grove of live oaks. Riding up 
to the gate we dismounted and walked in. Luckily Uncle 
Seth was at home, for, as Lawrence had told me, he was fre- 
quently absent for days at a time, hunting and herding his 
small stock of ponies and cattle. Uncle Seth had evidently 
noticed our approach, for he came out to meet us before we 
had gone h^lf way from the gate to the house. 

"Hey! boys, you are out airly this mornin'," said he, when 
we came within speaking distance, ''what's up now? Injins 
about down your way?" "Oh, no,'"' replied Lawrence, "all's 
right at our settlement, but Mr. Dobell and I have come 
over to-day to see you on some particular business; very par- 
ticular business. I hope you are in good humor this morn- 
ing, for we have got a favor to ask of you, which you must 
grant whether you are in a good humor or not." "Well, well, 
boys," said Uncle Seth, "I'll do the best I kin for you ; but 
come into the shanty and we'll talk about it there." 

The shanty was not an imposing edifice by any means, 
being about fifteen feet one way by twelve the other, and was 
rather scantily supplied with furniture — three or four wooden 
chairs, a cot, and a small deal table comprising nearly the 
whole outfit. However, it answered Uncle Seth's purposes, 



TJie Young Explorers, 47 

no doubt, very well, at least he seemed as well satisfied with 
the accomodations it afforded as a millionaire could have 
been with his palatial residence. 

*'Draw a stool, boys," said he, as we entered the cabin, 
*'and tell me what's up now. I know there's some scheme 
on hand, and that you want me to help you." ''You are 
right, Uncle Seth," said Lawrence, "we have a scheme on 
hand, and we can't carry it out unless you will assist us." 
He then proceeded to tell Uncle Seth of the exploring trip 
we wished to make through the unknown regions about the 
head waters of the Frio, Llano and San Saba rivers, wind- 
ing up by telling him Col. Rivers had consented to let us go, 
upon the sole condition that he would take command of the 
party, "for you know, Uncle Seth," continued Lawrence, 
with a little well timed blarney, "pa has more confidence in 
your knowledge of the woods, and the ways of the Indians, 
than in that of any one else in the settlement." 

When Lawrence had finished his "little speech" Uncle 
Seth drew a plug of tobacco from a pocket of his hunting 
shirt, bit off a piece about the size of a goose's gizzard, and 
began to chew it vigorously, every now and then stopping to 
spit at a knot hole in the puncheon floor. At length he said, 
"Boys, I would like mitily to go along with you, it's a fact, 
fur we would have a fust rate time, there's no doubt of that. 
I have never been farther up the way you speak of goin' than 
the head of the Llano, and I jest seed enough of the country 
to make me want to see more — best "country out of doors," 
and the^bar, deer and turkeys are as thick as pig tracks round 
a barn yard, and every doted tree is a bee-hive full of 
honey. But you see, boys," continued Uncle Seth, taking 
aim at the knot hole, and knocking out the center, "the In- 
jins is purty thick in them diggins, too, and I don't adzactly 
like to shoulder the responsibility of bringing you all back 
safe with the har still growing on the top of your heads. In- 



48 The Young Explorers. 

jins, you know, are powerful fond of sculps, and they'll run 
a heap of resk sometimes to get one. I should feel mity bad 
if any of yau should have your har lifted before we got back, 
and I reckon your pap wouldn't have such a high opinion 
then of your Uncle Seth as he has now." ^'Howsomever," 
he continued, taking another deliberate pop at the knothole, 
"I know you chaps are bent on goin', and ruther than disap- 
pint you I'll agree to go with you, perviden you will promise 
ter do jest as I tell you — travel when I say go, camp when 
I say camp, and fight like young wild cats when I gin the 
word." 

Lawrence assured Uncle Seth that he should have com- 
plete control of everything; that we would do just as he 
told us, whatever he might think necessary for the safety 
of the party. 

"And how many will there be in the party?" asked Uncle 
Seth. ''Well," replied Lawrence, "there's Mr. Dobell and 
myself, that's two; Henry and Willie, that's four; and you and 
Cousin Pitt, that's six. I don't count in Cudjo, as he'll go 
along to take care of the camp." "Then there'll be eight on 
us in all," said Uncle Seth, "countin' in Cudjo?" "How so?" 
said Lawrence. "Why, you see," said Uncle Seth, "I'll count 
for two, and I ain't braggin' at all when I say so, for you know 
that ain't my way; but a man who is a good woodsman and 
trailer, and up to all the dodges of the Injins, ort to be ekal 
to two green ones that hasn't larnt their ways. But six men 
ort to be able to hold their own agin twenty or thirty Ingins, 
and its not likely we'll meet 'em in bigger' crowds than that. 
With six men well 'heeled,' and of the sort it will do'lio 'tie to,' 
I wouldn't be the least mite afeared to go from here to the 
Rocky Mountains. And when do yo intend to make a start?" 
evidently as anxious to be off as we were. "Just as soon as 
we can get ready,'' said Lawrence. "We expect you to be at 
Frontier Hall in the morning, for we want you to help U3 to 



The Young Explorers. 49 

fix up our traps, especially the rigging for our pack mule, 
which you can arrange much better than any of us." "We'll 
look for you certain," added Lawrence, getting up to leave. 
"I'll be on hand, you may depend," said Uncle Seth; buthold 
on a little, you must have a bite before you *^o. I found a 
bee tree to-day, and upped a buck that cut a half inch of 
solid fat on the ribs." '*I thank you. Uncle Seth," said Law- 
rence, "but we are not at all hungry, and besides, we can easi- 
ly get home by dinner time." "If I am to have command of 
this here scout," said Uncle Seth, "I order you to take your 
seats. The first thing a fellow has to larn when he's out on 
the peraras, is to eat every time he kin git a chance, fur 
there's no tellin' when he may have another. In time of 
peace, you know, prepare fur war." Wishing to humor Un- 
cle Seth, Lawrence and I took our seats again, and in a little 
while a pot of hot coffee, a couple of fat, juicy steaks about 
the size of my foot (I wear No. 8), and a dish of fried homi- 
ny, were smoking on the table, to say nothing of a pail filled 
with honey in the comb. We drew up our stools to the table 
at Uncle Seth's invitation, and although Lawrence had as- 
serted we were not at all hungry, I noticed he had but little 
difficulty in worrying down a cup of coffee, the better part of 
his steak, and about half a pound of honey. As for myself, 
I went through my portion without a hitch in the programme. 
When we had finished, Uncle Seth said, '^Now boys, you 
kin go whenever you're ready. I've gin you your fust lesson, 
and I must say, you've done as well as I could expect." Bid- 
ding Uncle Seth good-by, and telling him to be sure and 
come over early in the morning, we went out, mounted our 
horses, and took the road home. When about half a mile 
from the Hall, we saw Willie on his pony coming to meet us. 
"Why, what's been the matter?" said he, when he came with- 
in speaking distance, "you have been gone long enough to 
have made a trip to. San Antone. I hope you found Uncle 

13 



50 The Young Explorers. 

Seth at home. But what's the reason you didn't bring him 
along with you? And what did Uncle Seth say?" said he, not 
waiting, in his eagerness to learn the news, for an answer to 
any of his questions. "Oh, Uncle Seth is all right,'* I replied, 
"and will comeibver early in the morning." *'Hurrah for our 
side!" exclaimed Willie, giving my horse a whack across his 
withers, instead of his own, with his quirt. "Hurrah for the 
the San Saba! We'll be off now in a jiffy. Ma is hard at work 
now on the tent, Cudjo is baking hard bread and parching 
coffee, and Henry, as usual, is going round bothering every- 
body and doing nothing himself. Whoop! but won't we have 
a glorious time of it, Mr. Dobell," said he, as he gave my 
horse another whack that came very near making him throw 
his rider. "Whoop! won't we have a glorious time!" and off 
he scampered ahead of us towards the house. 

On our arrival there, we found all hands busily engaged in 
preparing everything requisite for a complete outfit, except 
Mr. Pitt, who was too much occupied in playing the agree- 
able to Cousin Sophia to attend to anything else. Cousin 
Sophia had managed in some way to have her piano brought 
along with the rest of the household goods from their old 
home in Kentucky, but either the climate of Texas was not 
favorable to the health of pianos, or else the numerous jolts 
and jarrings it had sustained on the road had ruined its tone; 
and, although neither her vocal nor instrumental performances 
were much to brag of, nothing pleased Cousin Sophia more 
than to be called upon to entertain the company with a little 
music. Of course Mr. Pitt had observed this amiable weak- 
ness in Cousin Sophia, and consequently he never failed when 
the occasion offered, to beg her to favor him with "one 
more song," when everybody else had had enough of them? 
and one or two to spare; pretending to be extravagantly fond 
of music, when I know he had no more ear for it than a pea- 
fowl. As we entered the house, the jangling of the old asth- 



The Young Explorers. 51 

matic piano greeted our ears (for my part, I would have pre- 
ferred listening to the flipping of a splinter on a fence rail), 
and we heard Mr. Pitt, every now and then, exclaiming, 
"beautiful!" "lovely!" etc. "Do you know, Cousin Sophia," 
he said, ''that your voice reminds me forcibly of Jenny Lind? 
a sort of ^olian cadence and mocking-bird thrill combined, 
that transports one from the dull realities of existence into 
the dreamy lands of imagination!" Oh! that fellow Pitt! To 
my certain knowledge, he had never heard Jenny Lind sing 
in his life. 

Mrs. Rivers was busily engaged in sewing the tent, and tried 
her best to look as cheerful and well pleased as the rest of us, 
but I am sure if she could have had her own way, that the ex- 
ploring expedition would have been promptly knocked on the 
head, or at any rate, that she would have put her veto on 
Willie's going; but it was too late then to make any further 
opposition to it. 

The next morning, according to promise. Uncle Seth put in 
an appearance before breakfast. Willie, who was on the 
lookout for him, saw him coming when he was yet a quarter 
of a mile off on the prairie, and ran to meet him. By the 
time they had reached the. gate we had all assembled there to 
meet the commander-in-chief of the expedition. He was 
dressed in a full suit of buckskin, and mounted on a stout and 
rather shabby looking gelding, but which (as we subsequent- 
ly discovered), had a deal of "come out" in him. He had 
his long, old fashioned flint and steel rifle on his shoulder 
and a bowie knife, and a pair of large derringer pistols were 
stuck in his belt. His shot pouch and powder flask were 
hanging to the horn of his saddle, and various other things 
were fastened to the numerous leather thongs with which it 
was garnished. 

Dismounting deliberately from his horse. Uncle Seth hitch- 
ed him to the gate post, and we all went to the house. *'I am 



52 The Young Explorers. 

glad to find, Uncle Seth," said Lawrence, "that you are a 
man of your word. You are here according to promise, and 
armed and equipped as the law directs." "Oh, yes," re- 
plied Uncle Seth, "when I say I'll be at a place at sich an 
hour or day, I'm ginerally there or thereabouts when the time 
comes, perviden the creek ain*t past fordin'; but I don't know 
so well about bein' armed as the law directs. We hain't much 
law of any sort in this country, and I commonly heels my- 
self accordin' to my own notions." 

**What do you think," said Col. Rivers to him, "of this ex- 
ploring expedition? Don't you believe the boys will stand a 
good chance of having their hair lifted, as you call it, before 
they get back?" "No. I don't," said Uncle Seth, confidently. 
"It will be the best thing in the world for 'em, and they will 
larn more in two months on the peraras, than they would at 
school in a year — leastwise 'bout some thingjs — and ef they'll 
only be good boys and mind what I tell 'em, I'll bet my stock 
of 'long horns' agin a stump tail yearlin' that I'll bring 'em 
all back safe with the har still growin' on the top of their 
heads." 

"That's the way I like to hear you talk," said Willie. Now, 
ma, I hope you are satisfied Uncle Seth will take good care 
of us," said he, turning to his mother; and in fact, I believe 
Mrs. Rivers was much consoled by the confident manner 
in which Uncle Seth had spoken of bringing the boys back 
safely. "Remember,'' said Col. Rivers to him, "I give you 
full command on this expedition, and whenever the boys dis- 
obey you I wan't you to bring them home at once." "Oh, 
I've no fear 'bout that," said Uncle Seth; "but," he said, turn- 
ing to Lawrence, "what sort of 'shootin' irons' do you intend 
to take on the trip, fur they are the fust thing we've got to 
look arter." "We have all kinds of guns here," replied Law- 
rence, "shot guns, rifles and muskets, and we will take which- 
ever you think the best." "Well," said Uncle Seth, "if that's 



The Young Explorers, 53 

so, I think you all had better take double barrel shot guns."^ 
"How comes it then," said Lawrence, "that you carry a rifle?" 
"Why, you see," replied Uncle Seth, "it is always best to have 
a rifle or two on scouts, because they's mity handy to kill 
game with, and besides, I am so used to Injins and their 
ways, that their yellin' and howlin' don't give me the buck 
ager now, as it does green ones, which you know is apt to 
spile a feller's sight. The rifle is a poor weppin in the hands 
of a chap that's got the buck ager on him. I don't mean," said 
Uncle Seth apologetically, "that the boys would be scared, 
but anybody, you know, is almost certin to have the ager the 
fust time they gits in a scrimmage with the Injins. I re- 
member mity well the fust time I ever tackled 'em, when I 
went to reload my rifle I couldn't find the muzzle for a spell 
— and she carried a half-ounce bullet. But with the double 
barrel shot gun, you see, it's difl"erent, for no matter how much 
a feller may be flustrated, with twenty-five or thirty 'blue whis: 
tiers' in each barrel, its mity sure to hurt somebody when it 
goes off. Rifles is good to git your 'fresh' with, but the double 
barrel shot gun's the weepin fur Injins." 

*'Since I come to think about it," said Lawrence to Uncle 
Seth, "there are only five good shot guns on the place, so that 
somebody besides you will have to take a rifle." "All right," 
said I, ''I have never used a shot gun much anyhow, and I'll 
stick to my rifle, even though I should have the 'buck ager/ 
as Uncle Seth calls it, I can shoot with the 'double wabble.' " 
"Very well," said uncle Seth, "that's all settled. You and 
me will take our rifles and the rest shot guns — and how about 
pistols," he continued, "fur they's mity handy to have in a 
clost tussle." "We've all got a good pair of 'derringers' 
apiece, and holster pistols, too, if you think it best to take 
them," said Lawrence. "Never mind the holsters," said 
Uncle Seth, "they are are powerful worrying to a horse's with- 
ers, and besides 'taint a good plan to hamper yourself with 



54 The Young Explorers. 

too many shootin' irons. You know the old sayin', "the man 
that works with one tool understands the use of it," and he is 
mighty sure to keep it in good order. Now," he continued, 
*^I'll tell you what we'll want besides guns and pistols, so you 
kin go to work at onct — a tent to keep our ammernition and 
pervisions dry in rainy weather; as fur ourselves, we ain't salt 
ner shugger, and a wettin' now and then won't hurt us much; 
then we'll want 'bout a hundred pounds of 'Old Ned' (mid- 
ling bacon), a hundred pounds of hard tack, thirty pounds 
of coffee, parched, but not ground, ten pounds salt, a little 
shugger, for them that uses it, a few pounds of rice ef you've 
got it, some pepper, one large coffee pot, one axe, one hatchet, 
one fryin' pan, a dozen tin plates, a spoon or so, and in course 
every one will carry his own tin cup, butcher knife and stakin' 
rope. One thick blanket apiece,^' continued Uncle Seth, 
"will be enough at this time of the year, but every one must 
have plenty of powder, shot and flints, besides fifty rounds of 
cartridges, which are only to be used in case of a scrimmage; 
and when we are fixed up in that way I'll undertake to carry 
you all safe to Calaforny, if you want to go there, in spite of 
all the Injins on the peraras." 

The packsaddle, with some leather, buckskin and other 
materials, was turned over to uncle Seth to be rigged, and the 
rest of us went to work, cleaning and oiling our guns and pis- 
tols, moulding bullets, making cartridges (for at that day 
they were not to be had ready made), and packing up what- 
ever we thought would be needed on the expedition, in strong 
cloth wallets. I said the rest of us, but I must except Mr. 
Pitt, who was so busy "setting up" to Cousin Sophia he 
hadn't time to attend to anything else. All day long (with 
short interludes at meal times, etc.), I could hear the old 
rattletrap piano going, and occasionally an exclamation from 
Mr. Pitt, such as delightful ! splendid ! etc., and once I heard 
him say, "Do play that little song once more; it's a perfect 



The Young Explorers. 55 

**olla podrida" of soul and sentiment, music and melody," 
but to me it sounded exactly like the hammering of a tinker 
on his pans. However, I made all due allowances for Mr. 
Pitt, for I knew very well as soon as we took him out on the 
prairie, away from woman kind, ''Richard would be himself 
again," and as efficient as any of us. 

After I had finished my task I went to where Cudjo, our 
future boss of the cuisine, was parching coffee and baking 
hard tack. "Well," said I, "Cudjo, how do you like the idea 
of going on this exploring expedition with us?" "Oh, I like 
berry well, Mass Jack," said he, "to go wid you all on dis splor- 
ing trip, but spoe'n dem wild Injins cotch us, wot den?'' 
*'Why they would make short work of me and the boys," 
said I, "but they wouldn't kill you." "Wot dey do wid me, 
den?" said Cudjo. "Oh, they'd take you along with them," 
said I, "and make you wait on 'em, black their moccasins, 
brush their hunting shirts, and cook for them sometimes when 
they have any prisoners fit to butcher. Do you know how 
to make a nice hash out of a man's feet and hands ?" "No, 
dat I don't" said Cudjo emphatically, "en I ain't gwying to 
cook 'em for nobody, but you don't tell me for true, Mass Jack, 
dat dey eats people, do you ?'' "Yes," said I, "they eat the 
feet and hands of all they kill in battle, and sometimes the 
hearts of those who have fought bravely." "Den I ain't 
gwying one foot wid 'em," said Cudjo, "da kin jes kill me 
fust." *'But you musn't let'em do that," said I, "you must 
fight 'em as long as you can shoot." "I'll do dat, sartin," 
said he, "only gib me a gun, en I'll pop at 'em tell de cows 
come home. I ain't gwying wid nobody dat eats people's foot 
and hand.*' 

Two days after Uncle Seth came over to Frontier Hall, we 
were ready to start on the trip, the tent was finished, the 
pack saddle rigged, and all our provisions stowed away in the 
haversacks. 



56 The Young Explorers. 

The morning afterwards, we saddled our horses, packed 
our provisions and camp equipage on a big, stout mule, and 
bidding good-by to the folks at Frontier Hall, we mounted 
and started off on our long talked of "Exploring Expedition.'^ 
Uncle Seth had spoken so confidently about making the trip 
safely, that he had succeeded in a great measure in quieting 
Mrs. Rivers' fears, and she didn't "take on" as Willie said, 
as much as I expected she would when we left. 

I really felt sorry for Cousin Sophia, for I knew very well 
after Mr. Pitt's departure, there would be no one to listen 
willingly to the jangling of the old piano, and to exclaim at 
the conclusion of every song or piece of music "how beauti- 
ful," etc. But I am sure the rascal had listened and ex- 
claimed to some purpose, for just as we were about to start, 
I saw Cousin Sophia slyly hand him a small parcel, which I 
suspected was a ''billet doux,'' but I afterwards ascertained 
it was only some sentimental farewell verses. 

"Don't you fret about us, ma," said Willie, as he gave his 
mother a parting kiss, "we'll all get back safe, you may be 
certain, and then I'll study my books as I promised pa, for a 
whole year. Won't it be a drag, though," said he to me, as 
we rode off, "only think Mr. Dobell, of a fellow's having ta 
study grammar, g'ography, 'rithmetic and all that tiresome 
stuff for twelve long months at a stretch. It's enough to make 
a fellow sick just to think of it. It ain't half as good fun as 
scampering over the prairies on my pony." 

"I suppose not," said I, ''but then I am sure you do not 
wish to grow up an ignoramus, which you certainly will if you 
do nothing but scamper over the prairies on your pony." 

"Yes, I know that," replied Willie, "and I'm going to study 
hard when I come back — but I'll have one good 'blow out' 
before I begin, anyhow." 

As we rode off from the house our little party made quite 
a formidable and warlike appearance, with our guns across 



The Young Explorers, 57 

our shoulders, and our butcher knives and pistols stuck in 
our belts. Uncle Seth led the van, Mr. Pitt, Lawrence, Hen- 
ry and myself composed the "main body," Cudjo leading the 
pack-mule was the rear guard, whilst Willie scampering here 
and there, sometimes in front, sometimes on the flanks, served 
as a kind of vidette or lookout for the whole party. Cudjo 
was mounted on a half-breed horse (his dam being a full 
blooded mustang) and he took after his mother, not only in 
appearance, but in qualities, for he had a Roman nose, white 
eyes and protuberant stomach, and was a most expert 
*'pitcher" whenever he wanted to get rid of his rider. Cudjo 
had a short double barrel shot gun slung across his shoulders 
and from his saddle bow dangled his shot pouch, to which 
was attached a powder horn of such huge dimensions that 
Willie at once christened it "the magazine." These, together 
with other traps tied to the thongs of his saddle, gave him 
quite the look of a dusky brigand, returning from a success- 
ful foray. 

Uncle Seth led the way across the prairie, for at that time 
there was no direct road from the settlement where Col. 
Rivers lived to the city of San Antonio. 

When we had gone perhaps a mile. Uncle Seth halted us, 
and asked us to keep quiet a bit, as he had a few words to 
say to us before we went farther. ''Now boys," said he, "I 
want to have a little onderstandin' with you all afore we git 
in the Injin range. I told your pap I would do all I could 
to take care of you while we was on this scout; but I told 
him, too, I wouldn't shoulder the responsibility of fetching 
you all back safe, onless you'd agree to do whatsomever I 
thought was best, and he said you all had promised to obey 
orders — I s'pose that's so?" "Yes," said Lawrence, '* we all 
promised pa that we'd do whatever you ordered us to do, as 
long as we are out on this trip — if it's to fight, we'll fight, and 
if its to run, we'll run, and say, 'devil take the hindmost."* 



58 The Young Explorers 

Uncle Seth laughed at this, and said: ^'There's no use in 

runnin' from Injins onless you're mity dost to the fort. But 

as you say you've all agreed to do as your Uncle Seth says, 

the fust thing I've got to tell you is, that I want you always 

to keep clost together, and not go squanderin' about, one here 

and another yonder, like a drove of half grown turkeys, and 

always to keep your guns and pistols in good shootin' trim 

and well loaded. And if you shouldn't see an Injin fur a 

month, don't take up the igee that there ain't sich a thing as 

an Injin in the country, fur jest when you come to think that 

away, like as not they'll pounce down on you. That's just 

how it is, that so many scoutin' parties has had their hair 

lifted on the peraras of Texas. For a few days they is giner- 

ally mity cautious, and all the time on the lookout fur "Mr. 

John," but arter a while, when they never see an Injin and 

no 'sign' of 'em, they gits careless and begin to think there's 

no danger, and that it's no use to keep guard at night, and 

to be always on the watch, consequence is, at the very minit 

they think there ain't an Injin in forty mile of 'em, and like 

as not one-half their guns ain't loaded and they are scattered 

long the road fur half a mile, they hears the war whoop and 

the har flies from their heads afore they knows what's the 

matter. Now, I hain't no notion of bein tuck on serprise in 

that way, and I want you always to keep clost together when 

we're on the road, and when in camp always to put a guard 

out; and though there ain't much danger of meetin' Injins 

'twixt here and Saint Antone, we will commence at onct so it 

will come easy to you when we git in the Injin range." 

We again assured Uncle Seth that we were willing to do 
whatever^he thought best, whereupon he turned his horse and 
rode on, whilst we followed in single file but well closed up 
according to "orders." 

Cudjo had a good deal of trouble to-day with the pack 
mule, which would frequently stop in spite of his quirt and 



The Young Explorers, 59 

"blessings," to nip at the grass; but he was soon broken in, 
and from that time on he would follow us like a dog. All we 
had to do was to put the pack on securely and turn him 
loose, now and then giving him a passing glance to see if 
any of the traps tied to the saddle were missing or out of 
balance. 

Our course to-day led us over a beautiful undulating coun- 
try, mostly prairie, but interspersed here and there with 
groves, giving it a park-like appearance. We passed many 
herds of deer, and several of antelopes on the way, but we 
did not attempt to kill any of them, as shooting on the march 
was against Uncle Seth's orders. '* 'Twont do," said he to 
Henry, when he expressed a wish to make a "dash" into a 
herd of the latter, "we've got along road ahead of us, and we 
mnst save our horses all we can, or may be so, some on us 
will have to ride 'Shanks' mar' afore we git back, and 
^Shanks mar,' you know, boys," continued Uncle Seth, 
though she's a safe and reliable animule on the long run and 
never shies ner pitches, is a very slow critter, and a mity tire- 
some one to travel fur, and besides," he added, "you couldn't 
catch them anterlopes, nohow." 

About three o'clock in the evening we came to a large 
grove of live oak trees near which there was a deep pool of 
water, the very head. Uncle Seth said, of Martinez creek, and 
here he decided to pitch camp. "We've made but a short 
ride to-day," he said, "but there's no hurry, and it's always 
best not to push the animals at the start, and besides," he 
added, "if we pass this water, it's not likely we'll find any 
more tell we git to the Salado." There was a large herd of 
deer feeding on the prairie about half a mile from camp, and 
Uncle Seth said, while we were stretching the tent, he would 
* go out and get some "ven'son" for supper. "Why," said 
Lawrence, "how do you expect to approach those deer in the 
open prairie ? They will certainly run before you can get in 



60 The Young Explorers. 

rifle range of them/' "Yes," said Uncle Seth, "I know they'll 
run, but it will be towards me — you watch and see if they 
don't," and saying this he primed his rifle afresh and started 
off for "ven'son," whilst Lawrence and I watched his move- 
ments, as we wanted to learn how to stalk deer in open ground. 
Uncle Seth walked slowly towards the herd, until he saw the 
deer begin to raise their heads and show other signs of alarm, 
when he laid down in some bunches of grass. Then he tied 
his red handkerchief to his ramrod, and waved it backward 
and forward above the grass. Pretty soon the deer noticed 
the signal, and evidently were curious to know what it meant, 
for they started towards it, but stopped beyond rifle shot, as 
though they were a little suspicious it meant no good. Then 
we saw Uncle Seth lower his flag, and hoist one foot and then 
the other above the grass, and occasionally throwing tufts of 
it into the air. These strange and unusual movements so 
roused their curiosity, that the whole herd started in a full 
run for the place where Uncle Seth was lying, and when as 
it seemed to us, the foremost deer were almost on him, we 
saw a puff of smoke, and one of them fall to the ground be- 
fore we heard the report of the gan. Just then, Willie, who 
had gone to a small thicket near by to cut some tent pins, 
cried out, "come here fellows, and see this monstrous snake!" 
We all picked up clubs and hastened to the place, but before 
we came in forty steps of itj^we could hear the ''singing" of 
the snake's rattles — and a very peculiar sound it is — one not 
to be mistaken for any other, when once heard. The snake, 
a very large one, was lying in its coil, ready for striking, and 
apparently much enraged at Willie for having intruded upon 
his premises. 

Lawrence advanced with a club intending to kill him, when 
I said, "hold on Lawrence, and let Cudjo get a crack at him; 
he'll fix him in short order." "Oh, no," said Cudjo, backing 
off from the venomous reptile, "I ain't gwying to push ray- 



The Young Explorers. 61 

self ahead of buckra— dis nigger learn better manners den 
dat — let Mass Lawrence fix 'um. So Lawrence "fixed him" 
with repeated blows of his club, and dragged him out into 
the open ground. Willie, who had a measuring tape in his 
pocket took his dimensions, and found that he was six feet, 
five inches long, and ten inches around the middle. He had 
fourteen rattles and a button. "Ki !" exclaimed Cudjo, who 
had ventured up when he saw the snake was dead, *'ki! what 
he got in he inside? Bress de Lawd I'm gwying to see," and 
drawing his butcher-knife,, he cut the snake open near the 
middle, when out popped a full grown rabbit. "Why, how 
did he catch that fellow?'' said Willie to Cudjo. "He ^charm' 
'em sah," replied Cudjo. "He thess look in he eye, and de 
ole bar' squeal an' try ter run away, but it tain't no use, for he 
jess run roun' an' roun' in a ring, ebery time gittin' little 
closter to de debbil's mouf, tell at las' he run right down he 
troat; it's de trute I'm tellin' yer, Mass Willie, fur I see 'em 
do it many time." "And do they ever charm people?" said 
Willie. *'Dat dey does," replied Cudjo. "My Uncle Csesar 
tole me, he see his darter Sukey one day in de 'tater patch 
runnin' roun' thess like a rabbit and screamin' loud as she 
could, and when he went to see what was matter wid her, dar 
lay a big snake in he quile, dat turn he head when she run 
^roun' and look her plum in de eye. And he say, if he didn't 
cotch holt of her and jerk her away, she run right inter dat 
snake's mout shore, and jess as soon as de snake couldn't 
keep he eye on hern, she come to her senses and walk straight 
off to de house." 

Whilst Cudjo was telling us what he knew about snake 
charming, Uncle Seth came into camp with the haunch and 
saddle of a buck he had killed, tied up in the hide and slung 
across his shoulders. "Now, boys," said he, as he threw the 
bundle on the ground, you kin start a fire as soon as you 
please, and we'll have some supper." "We have just killed 



62 The Young Explorers. 

a fat rattlesnake," said I, "and I am told they are splendid 
when fried brown and crisp, suppose we get Cudjo to cook 
a piece of him for supper, just by way of experiment." 
"What?" said Cudjo, **cook a piece of dat snake fur supper ! 
I ain't gwying to 'speriment in no sich a way. Ef Mass Jack 
want to eat 'um, he kin jess cook a piece fur heself on de coal? 
I won't muss up my fry pan wid de rusty ole sarpint, dat's 
shore. Ki! who ever hear'n tell of folks eatin' snake?'' 

The fire was soon kindled, the coffee pot put on, and in 
half an hour or so, Cudjo informed us that the steaks were 
done and supper ready. We didn't keep it waiting for us 
long, for we had taken breakfast early and our ride had whet- 
ted our appetites amazingly. The steaks were done to a turn, 
the coffee was hot and strong, and our hard tack sopped in 
rich gravy wasn't "hard to tackle.'' 

"See here, Henry," said Willie to him as he helped him to 
the third piece of steak, "1 think it about time for you to 
knock off. We'll have breakfast in the morning." "Oh, dry 
up," replied Henry, "you've ate two pounds of steak to my 
one." ''You know that's not so," said Willie, 'Tm sure if I 
had ate as much as you have, I shouldn't expect to live till 
morning." "If I were an insurance agent," said Lawrence as 
he sipped his third cup (a tin pint) of coffee, and swallowed 
the last mouthful of a pound steak, "I wouldn't insure the life 
of either of you until morning on any terms." "Eat as much 
as youwant to, boys," said Uncle Seth, "'taint goin' to hurt 
you — it's a curus thing, but it's a fact that a feller kin stow 
away three times as much 'grub' campin' out on the peraras, 
without hurtin' him, as he kin at home." 

At length, however, everybody was satisfied, and then Un- 
cle Seth said, "Now boys, some one's got to stand guard — 
who will it be?" "I will,'' said Lawrence. "No," replied 
Uncle Seth, "I reckon Willie had better have the fust watch, 
fur he's the youngest — you kin take the next two hours, and 



The Young Explorers, 63 

the rest of us will take our turn 'till daylight. But I want 
to tell you one thing/' said be to Willie, "whenever you're on 
guard at night in an Injin country, don't you go prancin' 
backards and foreds like a reglar soldier on his post — it looks 
kinder milintary I know, but you see that don't pay a feller 
fur gittin a hole druv through him with a dogwood switch — 
jest take a seat at the root of a tree, or behind a bush, and 
keep your eye skinned on everything that's moving." Willie 
promised Uncle Seth that he wouldn't go parading backwards 
and forwards on his post, and picking up his gun, he went 
out and took his station according to orders, near where we 
had staked the horses. "Now boys," said Uncle Seth, "we 
must all go out and stake our animules on fresh grass, and 
then every one kin turn in when he gits sleepy." But Cudjo 
hadn't waited for orders, for he was already fast asleep, with 
his head instead of his feet to the fire. "I think," said Henry, 
"that Cudjo ought to take his turn at standing guard as well 
as the rest of us." "No," said Uncle Seth, "Cudjo does raity 
well to cook steaks and mind camps, but you see, a nigger is 
nateraily a drowsy sort of animule anyhow, and goes to sleep 
jest as easy as slippin' off a greased log, when he is comfort- 
ably fixed." 

The night was warm and pleasant, and no one slept in the 
tent; every one spreading his blanket on the soft grass just 
where it suited him. Next morning Willie was the first one 
up, and he soon roused the whole camp. Mr. Pitt, who had 
the last watch, grumbled a good deal at being disturbed so 
early, but finding it impossible to sleep on account of the 

noise and bustle in camp, he reluctantly abandoned his 
"downy couch." In the meantime, Cudjo prepared breakfast, 
and as soon as it was ready, we all fell to, with appetites as 
keen as if we had gone to bed supperless. The horses were 
brought in and saddled, and mounting them, we struck out 
again for the city of San Antonio, well pleased with our first 
night's bivouac on the prairie. 



CHAPTER V. 

On the road again for San Antonio— Reach the city and 

TAKE a look at THE AlAMO AND THE OLD MiSSIONS-BoWIE 

AND Crockett — Severe fight between citizens of San- 
Antonio AND COMANCHES IN THE PlAZA TaMALES A 

LOAD OF WOOD WITH A BURRO UNDER IT — ThE RIDING MATCH 
BETWEEN THE RaNGERS, CoMANCHES AND RaNCHERQS. 

Passing over a high rolilng country, very similar to that 
we had seen the day before, and fording a little stream on the 
way called the Cibolo, where there was no water, about noon 
we came to the Salado creek, some five or six miles from the 
city of San Antonio. Here we halted for an hour or so un- 
der the shade of some cottonwood trees, to rest and graze the 
horses. Mounting again, we proceeded on our way, and after 
going several miles we came to the top of a pretty high ridge, 
from which we had a fine view of the ancient city of San 
Antonio, spread out in the valley below us. A little while 
afterwards we struck a large, well beaten road, which we fol- 
lowed until we reached the suburbs of the city, where we 
halted near the Alamo, under some cotton wood trees. As 
there was no grass in the vicinity, Cudjo was sent into town 
across the river for a supply of forage, and all of us. except 
Uncle Seth and Mr. Pitt, (who had been to San Antonio be- 
fore) and volunteered to keep camp, walked off to the city to 
see the sights." 

At that time there were but few Americans in the place, 
and as all the houses were built in the Spanish or Morisco 
style, it presented a novel appearance to us. Mixed up with 
these buildings, which were of stone or adobe, were numer- 
ous jacals or huts, occupied by the poorer classes, constructed 



a 



The Young Explorers. 65 

of poles planted perpendicularly in the ground, plastered 
with mud, and roofed with tule, or the long leaves of an 
aquatic plant, somewhat like the bulrush. 

On our way we stopped at the Alamo, whose weather- 
stained and battered walls had been plainly visible from our 
encampment — those walls which a short time previously had 
been so gallantly defended by Travis, Bowie, Crockett and 
a few kindred spirits, against the overwhelming forces of 
Santa Anna. Here, for ten days or more, this little band of 
patriots kept at bay the whole Mexican army, numbering sev- 
eral thousand, till at last the few suruivors of the protracted 
conflict, worn down by fatigue and the want of sleep were no 
longer able to defend the walls that had been breached in 
many places by the continuous fire of the Mexican artillery. 
The Alamo was stormed, and the few who were left to main- 
tain the unequal struggle were put to the sword. As some 
one has truly said: "Thermopylae had its messenger of de- 
feat — not one escaped from the Alamo to bear the tidings of 
its fall." Within the walls, we were shown the spot where 
the body of the famous old hunter Crockett was found, sur- 
rounded by those of half a dozen Mexican soldiers he had 
sent before him into the "happy hunting grounds. We were 
also shown a small room, in which, we were told, Bowie had 
defended himself to the last, whilst confined to his bed by a 
wound. Splotches of his blood still stained the wall. The 
citizens of San Antonio may point with commendable pride 
to her palatial residences and her splendid public buildings, 
but the first question asked by the stranger within her gates 
is, *'where is the Alamo?" 

From the Alamo, we turned our steps to the bridge that 
spanned the clear waters of the San Antonio river, and cross- 
ing over, we inspected everything worth seeing in the city, 
which, with the exception of the Alamo and a few adjoining 
jacals, was situated on the western side. The old church on 

14 



^6 The Young Explorers. 

the west side of the plaza, was especially an object of inter- 
est to us, its turrets, belfrys and massive, sombre walls, re- 
minding us of the days of the Inquisition. On another side 
of the plaza we were shown a building in which, not long 
after the occupation of San Antonio by the Americans, a 
desparate fight took place, between a number of Comanche 
warriors and the citizens of the town. At that time, the 
Texans and Comanches were upon friendly terms theoretically 
but not practically, and a party of the latter had come into 
the city, ostensibly for the purpose of making a treaty with 
their white brethren — which of course they intended to break 
whenever it suited their convenience. It was known they had 
a number of white prisoners among them, and after the war- 
riors had been induced to enter the building mentioned, for 
the purpose of holding a "palaver" with the citizens, some 
one suggested that they should be seized and kept in con- 
finement until their prisoners were delivered up. This was 
finally determined upon, and after some little talk, and a 
company of armed men had surrounded the house, the in- 
terpreter was requested to tell the Comanches that they were 
prisoners, and would be held as such until the whites they 
had captured were brought in. But a Comanche warrior, 
like Gen. Taylor, '-never surrenders," and the moment the in- 
terpreter gave them to understand they were prisoners, they 
responded with the war-whoop, and began to pour their ar- 
rows into every white man in the room. A bloody struggle 
ensued, the whites outside shooting through the doors and 
windows. At length the Indians made a sortie, and forced 
their way through the men surrounding the house, but soon 
finding themselves hard pressed, they retreated into an unoc- 
cupied house on the corner of the plaza. From thence they 
kept the whites at bay for some time, and several were killed; 
but at length some one succeeded in setting fire to the roof 
of the house, and the smoke and flames drove the few sur- 



The Young Explorers. 67 

vivors out, and they were all shot down, except one warrior, 
who sprang upon a horse some one had hitched near by, and 
made his escape into the prairie west of town, A war be- 
tween the Texans and Comanches was the result of this 
bloody fray, and many a scalp, was torn from the heads of 
lone wanderers on the prairie, in revenge for the slaughter of 
the "braves" in the plaza of San Antonio. Recrossing the 
bridge, we went back to camp and got there just as Cudjo had 
prepared a tempting supper, at which we all played a trench- 
ant knife without the fork. 

The night passed of quietly, and the next morning after 
breakfast, leaving Cudjo to take care of camp, we mounted 
our horses and set out to to visit the old missions of San Jose 
and Concepcion, a short distance from the city. These mis- 
sions were established by the Spaniards more than a hundred 
and fifty years ago, for the purpose ostensibly, of civilizing 
the Indians, and possibly the Rev. Padres may have had an 
eye also to their temporal subjugation. But, however that 
may be, there is no doubt that the Spanish missionaries were 
eminently successful in propitiating the native tribes and in 
converting them to the true faith. They induced many of 
them to abandon their wandering, predatory life, and settling 
around these missions, they turned their attention to the cul- 
tivation of the soil under the supervision of the padres, who 
in recompense for the gratuitous labor they performed taught 
them to pray to saints and make the sign of the cross. In 
looking at these old missions we spent the day very pleasant- 
ly, and the sun was just setting when we started back to camp. 
Passing by the old mission of San Jose, our ears were saluted 
by a sound very similar to that of a heavy wind. We could 
not imagine at first what caused it, for there was not a cloud 
to be seen, but looking towards the old mission, we discov- 
ered it was produced by the wings of myriads of bats, that 
Were passing out in continuous streams from every door and 



68 The Young Explorers. 

I 

window in the building. It seemed to me that all the bats 
for twenty miles around must have congregated at the old 
mission, for they continued to pour out apparently without 
any diminution of their numbers, as long as we remained 
there. Willie dismounted, and amused himself for some mo- 
ments by throwing stones at the living stream passing out of 
one of the windows, knocking down two or three every time. 

By the light of Ihe full-moon, which made her appearance 
soon after sunset, we galloped back to camp, which we 
"winded" some distance before we came to it, by the smell 
of fat beef steak and onions, which Cudjo was frying for sup- 
per. At supper, a platter filled apparently with rolls of corn 
shucks, was placed before us by Cudjo. "Look here, Cudjo,'' 
said Lawrence, eyeing the strange dish suspiciously, "havn't 
you made a mistake and given us some of the 'roughness' in- 
tended for the horses ?" "Oh, no, Mass Lawrence," said 
Cudjo, ''dem's what de Mexicans call termarlers; I eat some 
ob dem in town wen I go dar to buy corn, and dey's fust rate." 
On trying them we found that Cudjo had spoken truly when 
he said they was "fust rate." I give the receipt for making 
tamales, as I have never seen it in any of the cookery books, 
viz: "A quantity of fresh beef, venison or mutton is hashed 
very fine; this is seasoned with salt, red pepper and garlic 
(or onions) and then mixed thoroughly with an equal quanti- 
ty of hominy beaten or ground to a paste. The mixture is 
then made into rolls like small sausages and each wrapped in 
the inner shucks of corn husks, and boiled till done. They 
are brought to the table smoking hot and the shucks are 
peeled off as they are eaten. I have often "worried them 
down" since, without being fatigued, and I can recommend 
them as an excellent dish. 

It was our intention to leave San Antonio the next morning, 
but we heard that a great ''riding match" was to come off the 
next day, between some rangers and rancheros and a party of 



The Young Explorers. 69 

forty or fifty Comanche warriors, who had come in for the 
purpose of making another treaty — to be broken the first time 
they had a chance to "lift the hair" from some fellow's head, 
or steal a herd of horses. We had often heard of the aston- 
ishing equestrian feats performed by the Texas Rangers, ran- 
cheros and Comanches, and we were anxious to see the ^'rid- 
ing match" between them. Uncle Seth told us, they could 
beat the circus riders "all hollow,'^ and that the sight would 
be worth the loss of a day. We determined therefore to re- 
main another day at San Antonio and see the "show." 

The next morning we found the whole population of the 
city, men, women and children, all preparing to leave for the 
scene of the gre£.t riding match, which was to take place in 
the prairie (now grown up in mesquite and chapparal) just 
west of the San Pedro creek. Gaily dressed ''caballeros" 
were prancing along the streets on their gaudily caparisoned 
steeds; rangers mounted on their horses, and dressed in 
buckskin hunting shirts, leggins and slouched hats, and with 
pistols and bowie knives stuck in their belts, galloped here 
and there among the crowd, occasionally charging ''horse 
and any" into some bar-room or grocery, for a glass of "mes- 
cal" or "scorch gullet." All the strangers in the place, and 
all the citizens with their families crammed into all kinds of 
vehicles, were hurrying in hot haste, to reach the scene of 
action before the match began. 

Mounting our horses, and leaving Uncle Seth in charge of 
camp, who declined going, as he said "he had seen Injins 
often enough cuttin' up their didoes on horseback," we fol- 
lowed the crowd until we came to the San Pedro, a little 
stream flowing through the western suburbs of the city. But 
just there an incident occurred, that no doubt afforded a good 
deal of amusement to the lookers on, and which prevented 
us from reaching our destination as soon as we expected by 
half an hour. A Mexican came meeting us, mounted on the 



'70 The Young Explorers 

hips of a burro, that was so completely covered with mesquite 
branches nothing of the animal was visible except its ears 
and the lower portions of its legs. The moment our horses 
caught sight of this strange looking object, they stopped and 
stood for an instant as if rooted to the spot; then snorting 
like mustangs, they suddenly wheeled about, and went clat- 
tering down the street the way we had come. So badly were 
they stampeded, we were unaMe to check their headlong 
course until we had crossed the bridge and got back to camp 
on the east side of the river. 

Uncle Seth, who was sitting on a log outside the tent, lov- 
ingly rubbing up his old flint and steel rifle, said as we came 
near, ^'Why, boys, you soon got tired of the show — anything 
the matter?" "Oh, nothing much," said Lawrence, who was 
the first one to check his horse, "we met a load of mesquite 
brush on the way with a burro under it, and our horses brought 
us back to camp whether we would or no." Uncle Seth 
laughed heartily at our mishap. "But," said he, "I s'pose 
you'll try it over agin?" "Of course we will," replied Law- 
rence, "but if we meet another burro on the road, you may 
look for us to be back again in a few minutes." However, 
we encountered no more burros, and soon reached the local- 
ity where the riding match was to be held, and where we 
found nearly all the people of the town already assembled. 
It was indeed a strange and novel scene that presented itself 
to our view. Drawn up in line on one side of the arena, and 
sitting like statues upon their horses, were the Comanche 
warriors, decked out in their savage finery of paints, feathers 
and beads, and looking with Indian stoicism upon all that 
was going on around them. Opposite to them, drawn up in 
single file also, were their old enemies upon many a bloody 
field, the Texas Rangers, and a few Mexican rancheros, 
dressed in their steeple crown, broad brim sombreros, showy 
scarfs and ''slashed" trowsers, holding gracefully in check. 



The Young Explorers. 71 

the fiery mustangs on which they were mounted. After some 
preliminaries, the space selected for the riding was cleared 
of all non-contestants and the show began. A Mexican lad 
mounted on a paint (piebald) pony, with a spear in his hand, 
cantered oft a couple of hundred yards, and laid the spear 
flat on the ground. Immediately a Comanche brave started 
forth from their line, and plunging his spurs into his horse's 
flanks, dashed off in a direction opposite to that where the 
the spear was lying, for a hundred yards or so; then wheel- 
ing suddenly he came rushing back at full speed, and as he 
passed the spot where the spear had been placed, without 
checking his horse for an instant, he swerved from his saddle, 
seized the spear, and rising gracefully in his seat, continued 
his headlong course for some distance beyond, when he 
wheeled again and galloped back (dropping the spear as he 
returned at the same spot from which he had taken it) and 
resumed his place in the ranks. The same feat was then 
performed by a dozen or so each of the rangers, rancheros 
and Indians, which was about the number of the actual con- 
testants for the prizes. A glove was then substituted in place 
of the spear, and in like manner it was picked up from the 
ground by the riders, whilst going at at full speed, and with- 
out checking their horses for an instant, with one exception, 
caused by the stumbling of the horse just before he reached 
the spot where the glove was lying. A board with a ''bull's 
eye" marked upon it. was then set up at the point where the 
spear and glove had been placed. A warrior with his bow in 
his hand, and three or four arrows from his quiver, charged 
full speed towards the mark, and in the little ti^e he was 
passing it, planted two arrows in the board. The rangers 
and rancheros then took there turn, using their pistols in- 
stead of bows, and all of them struck the board as they 
passed it, and several the bull's eye. A good many other ex- 
traordinary feats were performed, such as hanging by one leg 



72 The Young Explorers. 

to the horn of the saddle, in such a way that the rider could 
not be seen by those he was supposed to be charging, and 
whilst in that position, discharging pistols or shooting arrows 
at an imaginary foe under the horse's neck; jumping from the 
horse when at a gallop, running a few steps by his side, and 
springing into the saddle again without checking him for a 
moment; passing under the horse's neck, and coming up in- 
to the saddle again from the opposite side, etc. — all performed 
while the horse was running. No feats of horsemanship we 
had ever seen exhibited by the most famous ''knights of the 
ring," could compare with them for daring and dexterity. 

The last and most interesting and exciting performance of 
all was the "breaking in" of several "wild steeds of the des- 
ert" that had never been backed by man, as they had been 
recently captured. These were tied "short up" to stakes 
firmly planted in the ground. Young McMullen, one of the 
rangers, who had already been voted by general acclamation 
the most daring and graceful rider on the ground, was the 
first to perform this dangerous feat. Approaching cautiously 
the most perfectly formed and powerful of these unbroken 
steeds, he at length succeeded in spite of the furious struggles 
of the terrified animal, in slipping a blind of thick cloth 
over its eyes, and instantly as if transfixed by the wand of an 
enchanter, the horse ceased struggling, and stood perfectly 
still. McMullen then forced the bit in his mouth, girted the 
saddle securely upon him, and placing his foot in the stirrup, 
sprang upon his back. All this time the horse never moved, 
but the quivering of its well-formed, muscular limbs, showed 
that its terrors were still unabated. McMullen fixed himself 
firmly in his seat, and grasping the reins with his left hand, 
he leaned forward and quickly drew off the -blind he had 
placed over the horse's eyes. The instant it was drawn up, 
the wild horse snorting and absolutely screaming in its rage 
and terror, gave one tremendous bound, and then darted off 



The Young Explorers. 73 

at headlong speed across the prairie; but instead of trying to 
check him, McMullen urged him on with whip and spurs 
until he had gone perhaps a mile, when he reined him round 
and brought him back within fifty yards of the point he had 
started from. Here, suddenly coming to a halt, the horse 
began to "pitch" or plunge in such a violent manner that 
none but the most perfect rider could possibly have kept his 
seat in the saddle. But McMullen stuck to him as if he had 
been part of the animal itself, and the horse in vain attempted 
in this way to get rid of his unwelcome burden. At length, 
frantic with rage and fright, the horse reared straight up, and 
threw himself backwards upon the ground. A cry of horror 
broke from the lips of the spectators, for every one supposed 
that McMullen would be crushed to death beneath the weight 
of his steed; bat he was on the "qui vive^' and sprang from 
under him just in time to save himself, and the moment the 
horse rose to his feet, we saw him seated again in the saddle, 
as calm and composed as though he were bestriding the gen- 
tlest hack that ever bore a country curate to his church. 
Again the horse darted off at the top of his speed, and again 
McMullen urged him on as he did before, with quirt and spurs, 
for more than a mile, when we saw him turn and coming back 
towards us. In a few moments he came galloping up and 
after cantering slowly around the arena, he drew up his pant_ 
ing and foaming steed at the place he had started from, and 
the black eyes of many a "senorita" glanced admiringly to- 
wards the daring and handsome young ranger. The "wild 
steed of the desert" had been effectually subdued. Several 
more were "broken in" by Indians and Mexicans, but a de- 
scription of the feat would be merely a repitition of what has 
been said. At the conclusion, the distribution of prizes took 
place, consisting of handsomely mounted pistols, bowie- 
knives, Spanish blankets, etc. The first prize was awarded 
by the judges to McMullen. The second to Long Quirt, a 



V 



74 The Young Explorers. 

Comanche warrior; the third to H. L. Kinney, of Corpus 
Christi, and the fourth to Senor Don Rafael, a ranchero from 
the Rio Grande. Presents of various kinds were then dis- 
tributed among the Comanches, which ended the "show," 
and we returned to camp, well pleased with all we had seen. 



OHAPTEK VI. 

Mr. Pitt courts the Muses and is "kicked" sky high — 
''The Lone Star of Texas" — The Hymn of the Alamo — 
Leave the City — Great numbers of deer in the vicin- 
ity — Fossil Shells — Uncle Seth's theory to account 

for them, and CuDJO'S A MULE THE BEST SENTRY — TUR- 
KEY STEAKS A FALSE ALARM, 

As the day was pretty well advanced by the time we got 
back to camp, we concluded not to leave the city until the 
next morning, particularly as we wished to purchase some 
things we needed, which we knew we could not get in the 
wilderness beyond. Soon after our return to camp, Mr. Pitt 
took a pencil and a sheet of paper, went off a little way and 
seated himself at the foot of a cotton wood tree, from whence 
he had an unobstructed view of the "weather-stained walls of 
the Alamo." I knew he was occasionally a devotee at the 
shrine of the muses, in a diffident kind of way, and as soon 
as I saw him begin to roll up the white of his eyes, and pull 
at the hair on the top of his head, I felt sure the "fit" was on 
him then. It seemed, however, he had a good deal of coaxing 
to do on that occasion, before he could induce the coy muses 
to listen to his supplications, but in about an hour his "par- 
oxysms*' subsided, and folding up the paper, he started for 



The Young Explorers. 75 

camp. Before he came within hearing, I said to Willie: 
*'Mr, Pitt, I know, has been writing poetry, and you must ask 
him to let you see it." "All right,'' said Willie, '*ril do it.'' 
**Mr. Pitt," said Willie, when he came up, what have you 
been writing under that tree out yonder ? — a love letter to 
your sweet heart?" "No," replied Mr. Pitt, '*I have no cor- 
respondence of that sort on hand now." "Well, what is it?" 
persisted Willie. "Nothing but a few lines of doggerel," 
modestly answered Mr. Pitt. "Please let me see 'em," said 
Willie, "I'm mighty fond of poetry. I have read every bit 
of Mother Goose's Melodies and the Western Songster and 
I havn't had half enough yet." "Well, if that be the case," 
said Mr. Pitt (evidently nothing loth to produce the doggerel) 
**I suppose I'll have to let you read them," and he handed 
the paper to Willie. "Read them out," said Lawrence, "we 
all want to hear them, if Mr. Pitt has no objections." Mr. 
Pitt didn't object, and Willie read aloud the following lines: 

"The Lone Star of Texas. 

When the Lone Star arose o'er the wilds of the west. 
Faint and dimly it shone from its orbit on high, 

For the Mexican eagle had flown from its nest, 
And his broad dusky form overshadowed the sky. 

As the horde's of Santa Anna advanced to the fight. 
And up to heaven their battle cries pealed, 

Oh, paler that star grew, I ween, for its light 

Was eclipsed by the glitter of helmet and shield. 

Where bravely still struggled a small Spartan band 
Who had sworn for their country to conquer or die, 

Where the weather-stained walls of the Alamo stand 
The Lone Star still shone from its home in the sky. 

How that band firmly stood through the perilous fight. 
How they died for their country — let history tell. 



76 The Young Explorers. 

But the Lone Star went out; like a meteor at night, 
When Travis, the Texan Leonidas fell. 

Where the Tyrant dismayed from the battle-field fled 

Where the blood of his myrmidons crimsoned the plain — 

O'er the field of Jacinto strewn thick with his dead, 
More brilliant than ever, that star rose again. 

And now in the flag of our Union that star, 
In a bright constellation unceasingly glows, 

And oft will it shine through the dark clouds of war. 
As a beacon to friends and a terror to foes. 

When Willie had finished reading the verses, there was a 
dead silence for a moment — not a plaudit or a word of praise 
from any one, except Cudjo, who signified his approval by 
remarking "Ef dat hime only had a good chune to it, it would 
do mity well fur ole Mass Rivers' 'sam book. Mr. Pitt was 
considerably disconcerted by the cool reception we gave to 
his verses. He evidently had expected a little applause when 
Willie had finished reading them, and he could not conceal 
the disappointment occasioned by our ominous silence, for 
he said almost angrily to Willie, "give me back that paper, 
and I won't be such a fool as to throw pearls before swine 
another time." "Now see here, Mr. Pitt," said I, "don't 'fly 
off the handle' because we don't go into ecstacies over your 
verses, and don't consider you quite as great a poet as Lord 
Byron. They are very passable doggerel, and that is all can 
be said in their favor." "I never claimed they were anything 
else," indignantly replied Mr. Pitt. ''Never mind, Mr. Pitt," 
said Willie, who was anxious throw oil on the troubled waters, 
"never mind what Mr. Dobell says, for I think your verses 
are just as good as some I've seen published in the papers.'' 
"Good Heavens! Willie," said Mr. Pitt laughing, "and do you 
really think my verses are as good as some you've seen in the 
papers? Well, I have heard of 'damning authors with faint 



The Young Explorers. 77 

praise,' but this caps the climax. I don't think I shall ever 
have the heart to attempt doggerel again; but I have no 
doubt," added Mr. Pitt, '^that some poet worthy of the theme, 
will yet arise to do it justice. Mr. Pitt's words were prophet- 
ical, for the '^Hymn of the Alamo," written by R. M. Potter, 
which I here subjoin, undoubtedly has the ring of the true 
metal: 

"Rise, man the wall— our clarion's blast 

Now sounds its final reveille. 
This dawning morn must be the last 

Our fated band shall ever see. 
To life, but not to hope — farewell — 

Yon trumpet's clang and cannon's peal 

And storming shout and clash of steel 
Are ours — but not our country's knell — 

Welcome the Spartan's death. 

'Tis no despairing strife; 
We fall— we die— but our expiring breath, 

Is Freedom's breath of life. 
Here on this new Thermopylae, 

Our monument shall tower on high, 
And "Alamo" hereafter be 

On bloodier fields the battle cry. 
Thus Travis from the rampart cried, 

And when his warriors saw the foe 

Like 'whelming billows roll below. 
At once each dauntless heart replied: 

''Welcome the Spartan's death. 
We fall— we die— but our expiring breath 

Is Freedom's breath of life." 
They come— like autumn's leaves they fall; 

Yet hordes on hordes they onward rush, 
With gory tramp they mount the wall. 



78 The Young Explorers, 

Till numbers the defenders crush; 

Till falls their flag when none remain! 
Well may the ruffians quake to tell » 

How Travis and his hundred fell, 
Amid a thousand foemen slain! 

They died the Spartan's death, 

But not in hopeless strife; 
Like brothers died; and their expiring breath 

Was Freedom's breath of life. 

Having completed our ''outfit" by the purchase of such 
articles as we needed, we left San Antonio early in the morn- 
ing, taking a road running westward to a little village called 
Castroville on the Medina river, lately settled by some French 
people. At that day, nearly all the country between San An- 
tonio and Castroville was a beautiful, smooth prairie, with 
here and there a fringe of timber along the water courses, 
and it was a favorite resort for deer, antelope and other 
game. When only five or six miles from the city, at Willie's 
suggestion, we halted for a few moments, and counted the 
number of herds of deer in sight. There were thirteen 
herds, and allowing a hundred deer to the herd (which we 
thought was a fair estimate) there were more than a thousand 
deer visible from the place where we sat on our horses. At 
this day, a deer is rarely seen in that section of country — so 
rapidly does the game disappear in a prairie country before 
the advancing line of settlements. Continuing our route, 
about three o'clock we came to a creek, the name of which I 
have forgotten, where Uncle Seth thought it advisable to 
camp for the night. Selecting a secure place for our en- 
campment, surrounded on three sides by thick chapparal, we 
posted Willie as our sentinel on the open side, and the rest 
of us went to work to pitch the tent and collect fuel enough 
to last us till morning. 



The Young Explorers. 79 

We had now fairly entered the Indian range, although we 
were still within the settlements, and Uncle Seth enjoined 
upon us the necessity of keeping up from this time, a regular 
watch, even when halting for only an hour or so during the 
day. Guard duty, therefore, came quite heavy on such a 
small party as ours, but as Uncle Seth had told us we would 
run a great risk of losing our horses, if not our scalps when- 
ever we neglected to put out a guard, we submitted to the 
onerous duty without a murmur. When Willie's two hours 
watch had expired, he came into camp, bringing with him 
three or four very large oyster shells, which he had picked up 
near his stand. They were the shells of an extinct species of 
oyster — at least none precisely similar are now found in the 
waters of the Gulf of Mexico. "How do you suppose," said 
Willie, as he threw the shells down by the fire, ''that these 
bivalves were brought so far into the country? It must be at 
least one hundred and sixty miles from here to the nearest 
point on the gulf." Mr. Pitt, who made some pretensions to 
scientific knowledge, said that these shells were found in many 
parts of Texas, and upon the tops of the highest hills, and 
that it was evident wherever they were found, the country had 
been at a comparatively recent geological period, submerged 
by the waters of the sea. Uncle Seth, however, dissented 
from this theory. He said that ''he believed them shells was 
jist tuck up, liKe the frogs and fishes, by waterspouts, and then 
rained down agin at times, over the face of the yearth." Mr. 
Pitt smiled superciliously at this unscientific way of account- 
ing for the phenomenon, but by this time he was too well dis- 
ciplined to dispute the opinion of the commander-in-chief; 
turning to Cudjo, he said, "How do you suppose, Cudjo, 
that these oyster shells came there?" ''Good laws! Mass 
Pitt, how you tink dis nigger know anyting 'bout dat? Maybe 
so dey's a sort ob highland ister, and de Injin done eat 'em 
all up and leff de shell; but," added Cudjo, giving a toss to 



80 The Young Explorers* 

the last flapjack he was cooking, "supper's ready, gemmen," 
and the subject of fossils was dropped for the time being. 

After supper. Uncle Seth told Cudjo to stake the pack mule 
on the open side of our encampment, because, as he said, the 
mule would be sure to let us know if the Indians should at- 
tempt to approach us from that direction. ''A mule," said 
Uncle Seth, *'is always on the lookout, and is the best guard 
I knows of 'ceptin' a horse that's been onct stole by the In- 
jins — they never gits over their dread of 'em, I s'pose becase 
they ride 'em so hard and treat 'em so cruel, an' ef one comes 
around at night they's sure to sing out." However, the night 
passed off quietly, and nothing occurred to disturb our 
slumbers. 

About daylight the next morning, we were aroused by the 
gobbling of turkeys that were roosting in a grove about three 
hundred yards form camp. Willie jumped up, seized his gun 
and hurried off in the direction of the roost. In a few mo- 
ments we heard him fire, and soon afterwards we saw him 
coming back with a large gobbler slung across his shoulders. 
As we could not carry it with us. Uncle Seth stripped the 
feathers from its breast, from which he sliced off steaks 
enough for breakfast, and upon trial we unanimously decided 
they were superior in delicacy and flavor to venison steaks. 

Saddling up after breakfast, we were soon again on our way, 
which led us through a beautiful undulating country until we 
came to a little stream, which, as well as I remember, Uncle 
Seth said the Mexicans called the Seco, or dry creek, certain- 
ly a very appropriate name, as there was not a drop of water 
in it. Crossing this, we continued on to another stream in 
which there was a little water, where Uncle Seth thought it 
best to call a halt and graze our animals for an hour or so. 
Leaving the road, we went about half a mile above to where 
there was a grove of elms, near the margin of the creek, un- 



The Young Explorers. 81 

der the shade of which we unsaddled and staked our horses 
upon the luxuriant grass in the vicinity. 

However, we had scarcely seated ourselves comfortably on 
the green sward, when we heard the most distressing cries and 
screams in the direction of the road we had just left. We 
were on the qui vive instantly, and Uncle Seth, after listening- 
attentively for a moment sprung to his feet, and seizing his gun, 
exclaimed: "Boys, the blasted Injins are killing some folks on 
the road, shore, and we must try and save 'em." Suiting the 
action to the word. Uncle Seth started off at a run, and snatch- 
ing up our guns, we followed after him on foot, as there was 
no time to saddle and mount our horses. Urged on by the 
distressing cries that grew louder and louder as we neared 
the road, we exerted ourselves to the utmost, and rapidly ap- 
proached the spot where the supposed Indians were killing 
and scalping their helpless victims. But between us and the 
road there was a slight elevation that as yet concealed from 
view the dreadful scene that was being enacted upon it. Law- 
rence, who was the best runner of the party, gained the top of 
this elevation, some distance ahead of us, and we'^were aston- 
ished to see him suddenly halt, and laugh heartily at some- 
thing he saw. We wondered much at this singular proceed- 
ing, but as we came up one by one, puffing and panting, to 
the place where he was, from which a view of the road could 
be had, the mystery was explained. 

Slowly winding their way along the road, were about a doz- 
en Mexican "carretas" or carts, from the axles of which pro- 
ceeded those "heart rending cries of distress" — for grease! 
Any one who has ever heard the dismal sounds made by the 
huge wooden wheels of these clumsy vehicles when in motion, 
can readily imagine how natural it was under the circumstan- 
ces that we should have mistaken them for the cries of people 
in distress. We all laughed heartily at the way we had been 
fooled — except Uncle Seth, who didn't seem to appreciate 

15 



82 The Young Explorers. 

the joke at all. He was evidently greatly ''put out" by the 
fact that an old experienced woodsman and Indian fighter 
like himself should have been taken in and done for in this 
ridiculous manner. ''Well, I declar, boys,'^ said he, *'ef this 
don't beat all natur. I haven't run as fur ner as fast sence 
the Injins chased me and Dan Sturgis on the head of York's 
creek. I thought certin it was women and children that was 
screechin' so; and all the time 'twant nothing but these drat- 
ted carretas. , Ef the Injins would only bounce the blasted 
yaller cusses that's drivin' 'em, I could stand right here and 
see 'em lift the last har on their heads with the greatest of 
pleasure. I wouldn't crook my finger to save the whole lay 
out. It's too bad, drat if it ain't." And so saying, Uncle 
Seth turned about with a look of supreme disgust, and made 
tracks for camp. We all followed him, considerably crest- 
fallen at the unexpected termination of our chivalrous attempt 
to succor the distressed. ''Mr. Dobell," said Willie to me, 
"as Uncle Seth says, 'don't this beat all natur.' There nev- 
er was a set of fellows so badly fooled as we have been. 
Why, I saw them Mexican chaps laughing at us when we came 
running to the top of the ridge. They knew well enough what 
brought us there." "Yes," said I, "Willie, we have been 
taken in ridiculously this time, it can't be denied, and I reck- 
on it will be best to say nothing about our scrimmage with 
the carretas when we get home." No allusion was afterward 
made to it except on one occasion, when Willie demurely 
asked Uncle Seth if we hadn't better go to the relief of a 
gang of cayotes that were "screechin' " in the distance; to 
which impertinent question Uncle Seth disdained to reply. 
It was evidently a sore subject with him. 

After dinner, we returned to the road and continued our 
route through a beautiful rolling country, until we came to 
the Medina river, opposite the little town of Castroville, where 
we pitched camp, about two hundred yards above the road. 



Tlie Young Explorers. 83 

near a cold spring that burst out of the bank only a foot or 
so above the surface of the river. As there was but little dan- 
ger of being attacked by Indians so near town, Uncle Seth re- 
lieved us from guard duty, and we all got a good night's rest, 
with the exception of Cudjo, who going to sleep as usual with 
his head to the fire, a chunk rolled down against it and burnt 
him severely. Henry told him it served him right lor not 
sleeping with his feet to the fire instead of his head, but this 
had no effect on Cudjo, who still persisted in baking his cra- 
nium every night. Willie suggested that perhaps the negro's 
wool had originally been caused by this peculiar habit of the 
race, their hair being kept thereby, as it were, continually in 
a crisped or singed condition — which is at least as rational a 
way of accounting for the "wool on the cocoanut" as the cli- 
matic theory. 

All hands, as usual, were 'roused at daylight the next morn- 
ing, and as soon as breakfast was despatched, we mounted 
our horses and turned our faces again towards the far west. 
Crossing the river at the ford just opposite town, and passing 
through the business portion consisting of a grocery and 
blacksmith shop and then the suburbs — a shanty or so and 
two or three sheep pens or corrals, we boldly struck out 
into the uninhabited wilderness beyond. As we advanced, 
we found the character of the country somewhat different 
from that we had passed over between San Antonio and Cas- 
troville — more broken and rocky and but little timber — the 
main growth consisting of chapparal bushes and the prickly 
pear or cactus, the latter in many places as high as a man on 
horseback. They are a very ungainly looking vegetable pro- 
duction, and yet they are not without their redeeming points. 
Their broad pulpy leaves, when singed over a blazing fire, to 
deprive them of thorns, are very nutricious food for stock, 
and as they are full of juice, animals, when fed upon them, 
can travel a long time without water. The cactus bears an 



84 The Young Exploiters. 

oblong fruit, about the size and shape of the fig, which has a 
Tery enticing appearance, but which, I have heard, is very 
unwholesome, and in fact, I have known of one instance my- 
self, in which death resulted from eating freely of the fruit. 
It is a singular thing, however, that the thorns of the cactus 
when imbedded in the flesh do not produce inflammation, and 
that they often penetrate the most vital parts of animals, ap- 
parently without any bad effects. I have seen beeves killed 
on the Rio Grande, which had been fed on cactus, and which 
were as fat as a "stalled ox," although many of the thorns 
were embedded in their livers and lungs. 



CHAPTER YII. 

Indian Sign — Dodell encounters a Mexican lion — the 
"stampede" — CuDjo disappears in the row, but turns 
UP unexpectedly — Cutting the bee trees — Cudjo gets 

BADLY STUNG, ETC. 

To-day we crossed a considerable trail, quite fresh, and we 
followed it some distance to ascertain whether it had been 
made by Indians or by mustangs. Uncle Seth not satisfying 
himself as to its character until we came to a low, branching 
live oak tree growing near the trail. Here he called our at- 
tention to the fact that the trail diverged around the branches 
of this tree, which settled the question as to whether it had 
been made by Indians or mustangs. "You see, boys," said 
Uncle Seth, "I was purty shore it was Injin sign from the 
start, fur the trail didn't hardly scatter enough fur mustangs, 
but now I'm certin of it, becase the tracks are all outside the 



The Young Explorers. 85 

limbs of this tree. Ef they was mustangs some on 'em would 
have gone under 'em, for you see they are high enough for a 
horse to pass, ef there wase't a rider on him. There's twen- 
ty-five in the party,'' continued Uncle Seth, and they've got 
five pack animules along with 'em." "Why, Uncle Seth," 
said Henry, "how can you tell that?" "Easy enuff," said he, 
"Look at the trail here, where five pack animules and one 
horse have branched off from it. Now, Injins generally trav- 
el in single file, one right arter the other, but the pack ani- 
mules sometimes leave the trail, bein' loose, and are fust on 
one side and then the other. We must keep our eyes skinned 
now, boys," said Uncle Seth, '*fur there's no tellin' when we 
may come across a party of Injins." 

We continued on our course without halting until we came 
to a little stream called the Hondo, where we pitched camp 
under the shelter of some live oaks that grew a short distance 
from the creek. The sun was still several hours high, and 
after stationing Mr. Pitt on the most elevated ground in the 
vicinity as a lookout. Uncle Seth detailed me to go down the 
creek and kill a "ven'son" for supper, whilst he went up it t© 
hunt for bee trees, as the timber was more abundant in that 
direction. The rest of the party were ordered to keep a strict 
watch upon the horses, and not to leave camp until we re- 
turned. The country in the vicinity was principally prairie, 
interspersed with numerous patches of chapparal, and a nar- 
row belt of low timber bordered the creek on both sides, by 
which its course could be traced for several miles above and 
below the point where we had encamped. 

Thinking that I would stand a better chance to get a deer 
by keeping cfose to the timber along the creek, I followed it 
down, turning with all its meanderings, until I supposed I had 
gone at least a mile from camp, though in a direct line, it 
was probably not more than half that distance. As I have 
frequently observed it to be the case when meat is wanted, 



86 The Young Explorers. 

game of all kinds seemed unusually scarce, and so far I had 
seen nothing larger than a chapparal cock. At length, feel- 
ing a little tired, I took a seat at the root of a tree to rest a 
few moments; and besides, I had learned from experience that 
often the most successful way of finding game was keeping 
still, appropriately called "still hunting." Being motionless 
yourself, you do not attract the attention of game, and at the 
same time everything in motion and every sound attracts 
yours. 

I had been thus seated perhaps ten or fifteen minutes when 
the snapping of a twig drew my eyes in the direction of a 
thick bunch of chapparal to my left, and to my astonishment 
I saw a very large Mexican lion creeping stealthily towards 
me. I rose up immediately, cocked my rifle and presented 
it at him, and the same instant the lion, seeing I had discov- 
ered him, suddenly stopped, and giving a low growl, com- 
menced lashing his sides with his tail, and doubling his feet 
under him just as a cat does when about to spring on a mouse. 
I saw there was no time to lose, and taking as steady aim as I 
could (for I must confess that I was considerably "flustrated," 
as Uncle Seth would say), I fired at his breast. At the report 
of the gun he gave a terrific howl and sprang towards me. 
My hair stood straight up on my head, and for a moment 
(supposing I had missed him) I thought I was gone, but to 
my astonishment as well as relief, he stopped when in a few feet 
of me, and, crouching down, began to lick the blood that 
flowed from a wound, which had been made by the bullet 
exactly where I had aimed. Now, I thought, was the time 
to beat a hasty retreat from the dangerous proximity of this 
ferocious beast, but the instant I made a motion to rise from 
my seat at the foot of the tree, the lion growled savagely and 
glared at me in such a way out of his fierce red eyes as gave 
me plainly to understand if I didn't keep still he would make 
an end of me in short order. I took the hint, leaned back 



The Young Explorers. 87 

against the tree, and kept perfectly quiet. The lion all the 
time continued to keep his fierce fiery eyes fixed steadily up- 
on me, and whenever I made the slightest movement he 
would growl and show his white teeth in the most threatening 
manner. Finding he was bent on keeping me a prisoner, I 
thought I would cautiously reload my gun and give him an- 
other shot, but the moment I attempted to draw the ramrod, 
he growled more savagely than ever, and began to beat the 
ground with his tail. And there I sat, not daring to move a 
finger, it seemed to me for more than an hour, with this fero- 
cious beast in a few feet of me, glaring at me with his fiery 
eyes, and growling and lashing the ground with his tail, 
' whenever I made the least motion. What to do, I knew not, 
and yet I felt sure if I remained where I was until dark that 
I would be torn to pieces by the lion. The perspiration broke 
out in large drops upon my forehead as I saw the waning 
light of day giving place to the shadows of night, and I had 
almost despaired of effecting my escape, when I heard a faint 
halloo in the distance, and in a little while, to my inexpress- 
ible relief, I saw the ''Explorers," with Uncle Seth in the 
lead, coming in the direction of the spot where I had been 
kept so long in ^'durance vile." As soon as the lion saw 
them, he got up slowly, gave me a parting growl, and limped 
off towards the thickest part of the woods. I drew a long 
breath of relief as he disappeared from view, and just then 
Willie, who was in advance of the others, discovered me and 
shouted out, "Here he is boys, we have found him at last!'* 
In a moment the whole party were around me making eager 
inquiries as to what had happened, and what had kept me 
so long away from camp. "Why, Mr. Dobell," said Willie, 
*'we thought you had certainly been kidnapped by the Indi- 
ans, or else some '^varmint" had made his supper on you, 
and here we find you sitting comfortably at the foot of a tree 
enjoying your 'otium cum dignitate,' as Mr. Pitt calls it. 



88 The Young Explorers. 

"Yes," said Uncle Seth, ''you gin us all a purty good scare, 
certin, fur when we heard you shoot, and the sun went down 
and still you didn't come, we made shore that something was 
wrong. I shall have to put you on double duty to-night, fur 
kickin' up sich a row in camp.*' "All right, Uncle Seth," 
said I, "I will do double duty without grumbling, since you 
came up just in time to save me from a Mexican lion that 
was about to gobble me down without salt or pepper," and 
then I told him how I had shot the lion, and how he had 
stood guard over me and kept me a prisouer until they rode 
up. "Well, well," said Uncle Seth, "you was in a purty clost 
place, and it war lucky you kept still. I knows the ways of 
them varmints, and ef you had riz and tried to back off, he'd 
a bounced you shore. But do you think you hit him hard?" 
"Yes," said I, **the bullet struck him about the center of the 
breast, for I saw the blood running from the wound." "Then," 
said Uncle Seth, "wejll have him in the morning, fur I kin 
trail him by the blood." I mounted behind Willie on his 
pony, and we all rode back to camp, where we arrived just 
as Cudjo was preparing to dish up supper. 

Uncle Seth had found two bee trees within a short distance 
of camp, and it was determined that we would remain where 
we were the next day for the purpose of cutting them, and 
hunting the Mexican lion I had wounded. "If we can trail 
him up and get him," said Willie, *'I shall claim the hide for 
my share, for you know I was the first to find Mr. Dobell.'* 
Cudjo spoke for the liver, the oil from which, he said, would 
cure the worstest sort of rumatiz. "Cudjo," said I, "what 
would you have done if you had been in my place, with that 
lion in a few feet of you, growling and showing his white 
teeth whenever you crooked your finger?'* "I dunno, Mass 
Jack," said he, "but I tink Ibe so bad scared I couldn't crook 
a finger ef I wanted to ever so much. Bress de Lord, I spec 
you fine dis nige^er dead as a hammer; but you bet I ain't 



The Young Explorers. 89 

gwine fur from dis camp. Ef dem Mexican lion ebber catch 
Cudjo dey'll hab to come to de house for 'im." 

"Boys," said Mr. Pitt, *'Cudjo has been trying to trade me 
out of my Mexican blanket ever since we started on this trip, 
and I'll tell you now what I'm willing to do. If Cudjo will 
go out one hundred yards from camp, and blaze a tree and 
take us to it in the morning, I'll give him the blanket for 
nothing." "Oh, shucks!" said Cudjo, coiling himself up in 
his own blanket close to the fire, "I ain't gwine to temp de 
Lord in no sich a way. I won't want dat blanket, nohow, tell 
next winter." "If you'll go, Cudjo,'' said Willie, "I'll give 
you my three-bladed knife." '*And I," said Lawrence, "will 
give him a plug of first rate tobacco." "And I will give him 
a brand new pipe to smoke it in," said I. Cudjo was evident- 
ly sorely tempted by the promise of so many valuable pres- 
ents, to take the risk of being devoured by the Mexican lion, 
for he raised himself on his elbow and gazed wistfully into 
the darkness outside, but laying himself down again, he drew 
his blanket over his head, and muttered beneath its folds: 
"No, I ain't gwine nohow, case I promis Mass Rivers fore I 
leff home dat I'd stay clost to camp, an ef I go out in dem 
woods an git chawed up wid Mass Jack's Mexican lion, he'll 
tink I ain't to be pended on. 'Spose I go out dar an de lion 
eat me up, who's gwine to pay Mass Rivers fur dis nigger, 
hey? Jess tell me dat." No one proffered to give the desired 
information on this point, and in five nainutes Cudjo was fast 
asleep with his head, as usual, in good roasting distance of 
the fire. 

First one and then another followed his example, all except 
the head roasting process, and soon every one in camp was 
sound asleep except myself and Henry, who was on guard. I 
suppose my recent scrape with the lion had left my nerves in 
an excitable condition — at any rate, hour after hour went by 
and I still lay wide awake listening to the various sounds that 



90 The Young Explorers. 

were borne to my ears from forest and plain — the mournful 
howl of the "lobo" — the shrill yelps of the cayote, the hoot- 
ing of owls, and close by the "munching" of the horses as 
they busily cropped the luxuriant mesquite grass on which 
we had staked them. Suddenly the horses all stopped graz- 
ing and a dead silence ensued for some moments, then one 
of them gave a loud snort,-— a rush followed — pop! pop! went 
their ropes, and away they scampered in every direction over 
the prairie. I thought of course the Indians were upon us, 
and rousing all hands instantly we seized our guns, and has- 
tened to the place where Henry was on guard." "What's the 
row," said Uncle Seth to him as we came up, "Injins about?" 
"No," replied Henry, "I haven't seen any. One of the horses 
was frightened at something, broke his rope, and I suppose 
that stampeded the rest." "Did you hear the pack mule 
snort," said Uncle Seth? "No," said Henry, "he didn't get 
scared at all, for yonder he stands as quiet as a mouse." 
"Then," said Uncle Seth, "it warn't Injins that stampeded 
the horses — I reckon it was only a wolf or a panther." 

On looking round, we ascertained that all the animals had 
broken their ropes and gone off, except mine, Uncle Seth's 
and the pack mule. These we moved close up to the fire, 
and restaked them securely. "It's mity lucky," said Uncle 
Seth, "that all of 'em didn't git loose, for it would a been a 
hard job to hunt 'em up on foot. Howsomever," he added, 
"it's no use bothering 'bout 'em now, and we may jest as well 
turn in again fur we can't do nothing tell mornin'" "Hello!" 
said Willie, "what's become of Cudjo? — here's his blanket, 
but the fellow's gone." "He was lying there," said I, "when 
the horses broke loose, and he must have stampeded too and 
gone off with them." "Well," said Uncle Seth, "we must 
hunt him up — he's about somewhere, fur I know he wouldn't 
go out'n sight of the camp fire." Scattering around, we 
searched every place where he could possibly have secreted 



The Young ^. vs. 91 

himself, but one after another came .ack and reported that 
Cudjo could not be found. He had^lisappeared in the most 
mysterious manner. "Well," said L ncle Seth, when we had 
all gathered around the fire, "but .his beats all natur — what 
on the face of the yearth is gone with the feller is more'n I 
kin tell — but it's no use huntin' him till mornin.'" "I de- 
clare," said Willie, "I am quite uneasy about the poor fellow. 
I am afraid he got hung somehow in a rope when the horses 
stampeded, and that he has been dragged off and killed.'* 
"No, dat he ain't," said a voice from somewhere, "dis chile 
too smart for dat, and I clum out'n de way like a squirl.*' 
The voice seemed to come from some place above, and look- 
ing up, we discovered Cudjo's woolly head between the forks 
of one of the live oaks under which we had camped. "You 
black rascal," said Lawrence, "what are you doing up in that 
tree? I've a great mind to lift you out of it with a load of 
buckshot." "Oh, hole on, Mass Lawrence," said Cudjo, "I'se 
comin' down right off, sah," and hugging the tree tightly, he 
came down "by the run" like a bear. '*Why, you scamp," 
said Lawrence, as Cudjo sauntered up to the fire, looking 
rather sheepish, "you're a pretty fellow to desert your friends 
in this way on the first alarm and take to a tree. I didn't 
think, Cudjo, you were such a coward. I am really ashamed 
of you." Cudjo scratched his woolly head, blew his nose, 
hitched up his pants and "hemmed and hawed" a time or two 
before he made any reply. At length, he said, "I clar to 
gracious. Mass Lawrence, I clum dat tree wen I was fass 
asleep. I dream Mass Jack's Mexican lion come arter me 
an I dream I clime de tree to git out'n his way, and shure 
nuff I did, an' nebber wake up till jess now — and dat's de 
trufe I'm tellin' you, certin'." "Well, well," said Uncle Seth, 
**but that beats all natur — I've hearn tell of people walkin' 
in their sleep but I never hear afore of one climbin' a tree." 
Oh, yes, dey does, Uncle Seth," said Cudjo, "I git up one 



n 



92 Thlie Y'f^^f^g Explorers. 

f 
i 

night wen I was fass asleep, and walk two miles and clime up 
an apple tree an' pic'< ebery apple off'n it afore I wake." 
"And what did you do t^en?" said Willie. *^Well, I jess trow 
de bag ober ray shoulder and tote 'em all home, fur I thought 
it was a pity to leff 'em all dere to rot on de groun'." 

As it was impossible to do anything towards hunting up 
the horses until daylight, we all took to our blankets again, 
and nothing occurred to disturb us during the balance of the 
night. Uncle Seth and I saddled and mounted our horses, 
and started oif in pursuit of our runaways, leaving strict 
orders that no one should leave camp until we returned. 
Taking the trail of one of the horses, we followed it about half 
a mile, when we noticed, much to our satisfaction, the tracks 
of the others also, which convinced us they had come to- 
gether at that point, and half a mile farther on we found 
them all quietly grazing in an open bottom near the creek. 
As parts of their ropes were left on them, we caught them 
without difficulty and took our course back to camp, con- 
gratulating ourselves on having recovered our runaways so 
much sooner than we had expected. 

By the time we got back Cudjo had breakfast ready, and 
as soon as it was over. Uncle Seth, Mr. Pitt, Henry, Willie 
and Cudjo started out to cut the bee trees, leaving Lawrence 
and myself to take care of camp and guard the horses. The 
bee trees were but a short distance off, and in about two 
hours the party returned, bringing with them about twenty 
pounds of beautiful white comb filled with honey, which 
they had taken from one tree. As this was more than we 
could possibly eat in a day, and we had no way of carrying 
honey with us, Uncle Seth thought it was useless to cut the 
other. Poor Cudjo! it seemed as if he was fated to meet 
with mishaps on every occasion. Willie came back leading 
him by the hand, as he had been so badly stung by the bees 
that both of his eyes were bunged up hard and fast, and his 



The Young Ex'plorers. 93 

mouth looked like a "bologna sausage with a big gash in it.'* 
**Why, how comes it^ Cudjo/' said Lawrence, "that the bees 
stung you and didn't sting anyone else?" *'Well, I dunno, 
Mass Lawrence," said Cudjo, ''but jess as soon as de tree 
chop down, ebery one of de bees take right arter me, an 
chase me plum to de creek bottom, afore dey cotch me — but 
dey did cotch me at lass, and pop me in de mout an in de 
eye tell dey swell up jess like you see 'em." "Why didn't 
you climb a tree?" said Lawrence. "Oh! go away. Mass 
Lawrence," replied Cudjo, "you jess pokin' fun at me now, 
you know berry well that wouldn't done no good." Willie 
brought him a pan of water, and after bathing them for some 
time his eyes partially opened, and his lips subsided to some- 
thing like their usual demensions. 



GHAPTEK YIII. 

Uncle Seth and I find the dead lion — Cudjo's race with 

THE JaVALINAS ThEY TREE HeNRY AND MYSELF — UnCLE 

Seth tells a yarn about a Frenchman, who feasted 

HIM ON A sore EYED POODLE DOG — WoLVES AROUND CAMP. 

"Now boys," said Uncle Seth, "me and Mr. Jack will go 
out to where he shot the lion, and see ef we ken trail him up. 
Mr. Pitt wiiriook arter things at camp, and let nobody leave 
it tell we git back." just as we were saddling our horses we 
heard a great clucking of wild turkeys in the creek bottom, 
opposite to us, and presently five or six gobblers came flop- 
ping into the trees right over the tent. Willie brought one 



94 The Young Explorers. 

of them down with his double barrel gun, and Mr. Pitt killed 
another before they flew. "Purty well done, boys," said 
Uncle Seth, "and I hope you'll have them gobblers well 
roasted by the time me and Mr. Jack git back — turkey breast 
sopped in honey ain't hard to take." Mounting our horses, 
Uncle Seth and I rode off, and in a little while we came to 
the place where I had encountered the lion the evening be- 
fore. Tying our horses securely to some trees in the vicin- 
ity, we went to the spot where the lion had laid down after I 
wounded him, and where we found a pool of coagulated 
blood, and splotches of it here and there in the direction he 
had gone off. Following the trail of blood, we at length 
eame to a dense thicket in the bottom, into which the lion 
had made his way, as we could plainly perceive by the 
bushes and vines he had broken and twisted where he had 
passed through them. "Now," said Uncle Seth, as he care- 
fully reprimed his rifle, "we must keep a good lookout, fur ef 
the varmint was badly wounded, he didn't go a great way, 
and its likely he's somewhar in this thicket." Proceeding 
slowly and cautiously along the trail in a few moments we 
came to where the lion had laid down again, as was evident 
from the clots of coagulated blood that were strewn about 
the place. "You've gin him a hard hit, Mr. Jack," said 
Uncle Seth, "and I wouldn't be surprised ef he was dead 
afore this" — and in fact,, we had gone but a few steps farther, 
when Uncle Seth exclaimed, pointing to a number of turkey 
buzzards perched on a tree, "yonder's your lion, Mr. Jack — 
you'll find him under that tree, sartin." When we reached 
the spot, there he laid sure enough, as dead as a hammer. 
"By jingo," said Uncle Seth, walking around him, "he's a 
whopper, shore. Look at them teeth will you, and them 
claws! Why, they'd tear a buckskin huntin' shirt oif'n a fel- 
ler's back jess like it was made of brown paper," '*But," 
continued Uncle Seth, "the tarnal wolves have been at him, 



TJte Young Explorers. 95 

and they've teetotally split his hide. It's a great pity, fur it 
would have made a splendid robe." He said he was one of 
the largest lions he had ever seen, and he said he had killed 
a good many of them in his time. Cutting off the tail of the 
lion as a "trophy," we went back to where we had left our 
horses, and mounting them returned to camp. 

When we got there we found the gobblers spitted before 
the fire and just done to a turn, and such a dinner as we had 
on roast turkey, hard tack, slap-jacks and honey! As Uncle 
Seth said, ^'it jess beat all natur." 

As some of our equipments needed repairing, we determin- 
ed to remain at ''Honey Gobbler," as Willie named this 
camp, until next day. Besides, while Uncle Seth and I were 
hunting for the lion, Lawrence had killed a very fat buck 
within fifty yards of our tent, and we wanted to jerk the ven- 
ison to take it with us. We were ignorant of the character 
of the country ahead of us, and therefore concluded it would 
be prudent to carry an ample supply of provisions with us for 
fear we might not be able at all times to find game when we 
needed it. Uncle Seth said that occasionally, when on his 
hunting and trapping expeditions, he had traveled over ex- 
tensive regions where no game of any kind could be had — 
not even a squirrel or a rabbit, and that it was always the 
safest plan for parties visiting unexplored countries, to take 
as much '^provender" with them as they could^carryjwithout 
overloading their animals. 

Uncle Seth volunteered to repair the rigging of the pack 
mule, which had met with several mishaps on the road, and 
Mr. Pitt and Lawrence said they would attend to jerking the 
venison, which is done by cutting the meat into thin slices, 
and then hanging them up in the sun to dry; or in case the 
weather is damp and cloudy, by placing them on a low scaf- 
fold under which a slow fire is kept burning for some hours. 
Willie was on guard, and as there was nothing just then for 



^6 The Young Explorers. 

the rest of us to do, Henry, Cudjo and I rigged up a few lines, 
and went off to a deep pool about two hundred yards from 
camp, to catch a mess of fish for supper. On our way, we 
captured two or three dozen grasshoppers, with which we 
baited our hooks, and as tast as we flung them in the water 
they were seized by the fish that were literally swarming in 
the pool. In a few moments we had a score of fine perch 
and bass fluttering on the bank. Cudjo especially enjoyed 
the sport, and grinned with delight whenever he landed a 
fish. "I clar to gracious, Mass Henry," said he, *'I never see 
fish bite so greedy afore. Dar go my cork agin" — and giv- 
ing a violent jerk, he snapped his pole in the middle. 
*^There, now," said Henry, "your fishing is done for to-day." 
"Dat he ainH," replied Cudjo, pulling in his tackle, "I mity 
soon git anoder pole," and he hurried off towards the lower 
end of the pool, where there was a dense thicket of dogwood 
and other small growth, into which he quickly disappeared. 
Presently we heard a great cracking and crashing in the 
thicket, and Cudjo came rushing out with half a dozen Mexi- 
can hogs or "javalinas*' in hot pursuit of him. **Oh, law, 
goramity,'' screamed Cudjo, as he made for camp at the top 
of his speed, "run here Mass Henry, run here Mass Jack, an' 
doan let de debils chaw me up." The hogs followed him 
only a few feet outside of the thicket, but in his fright, Cudjo 
never noticed it, and supposing they were still after him, he 
kept on like a "scared wolf," yelling at every jump, ''fur de 
Lawd's sake don't let de debils eat me up." Mr. Pitt and Law- 
rence had just completed their scaff'old, and covered it with 
slices of venison, when Cudjo dashed into camp. Unluckily, 
when he had got within a few feet of them, he struck his foot 
against a stone, and pitching head foremost into the scaffold, 
he scattered the poles and meat in every direction. "Take 
'era off, take 'em off, Mass Lawrence," he yelled, "fur de 
Lawd's sake, take 'em off." "Take off what?" said Lawrence^ 



The Young Explorers. 97 

who, as well as Mr. Pitt, had seen the whole of the race be- 
tween Cudjo and his shadow, "there's nothing to take off — 
there isn't a hog in a hundred yards of you." "Um!** ex- 
claimed Cudjo, raising his head and looking back, "well, I 
clar to gracious ef dem hog ain't got back to de creek 
aready.*' "Get up you fool," said Lawrence, "and fix this 
scaffold which you have knocked to pieces — the hogs didn't 
follow you ten steps." "Fore gracious, Mass Lawrence," said 
Cudjo, "day was jess at dis nigger's heel wen I got here, fur I 
hear he tush snap behint me jess like cushion caps." Think- 
ing that the javalinas might possibly attack Henry and my- 
self, Mr. Pitt and Lawrence seized their guns and hurried to 
our assistance. And in fact, when they saw there was no 
chance to catch Cudjo, the javalinas made a rush straight 
for the place where Henry and I were fishing. But we were 
well aware of the dangerous character of these pugnacious 
animals, and as soon as we saw them coming for us, we 
scrambled up a tree with a great deal more haste than dig- 
nity. The javalinas gathered around the foot of the tree, in 
which we had taken refuge, and were waiting impatiently for 
us to come down, when Lawrence and Mr. Pitt came to the 
rescue. They both opened fire at once upon them, and after 
two had bit the dust, the others took the hint, and retreated 
to the shelter of the thicket. Henry and I then descended 
from our perch, and gathering up our fish, we all started back 
to camp. As we passed the two javalinas that had been 
killed, we noticed that they seemed to be in fine condition, 
and Henry proposed we should butcher one of them and 
cook some of it for supper, just by way of experiment, and 
shouldering the long-legged porker, he carried it to camp. 
By the time we had got back, Uncle Seth had returned from 
his hunt, with the saddle and hams of a "spike buck" he had 
killed, and seeing Henry with the javalina on his shoulder, 
he said, "Why, what on airth are you going to do with that 

16 



98 The Young Explorers. 



varmint?" "Eat it/' said Henry; "ain't they good to eat?" 
**Well, yes," replied Uncle Seth, "and so's a rattlesnake, 
perviden' you are starved — but you kin jess take my sheer of 
it as long as we've got ^poor doe' in camp — a feller kin eat 
them Mexican pigS ef he's powerful hongry, but he must cut 
the musk bag out as soon as they is dead, else they'll taste a 
leetle stronger of it than most folks would like." "I should 
think so," said Mr. Pitt, with an expression of disgust — 
"lather too much of the 'gout' as the French say." "Fact is, 
boys," continued Uncle Seth, "a feller soon finds out in 
roamin' round the peraras, that there's many things that'll do 
to eat 'sides beef and mutton. When a feller's been on mity 
short commons fur a week or so, anything amost is passable, 
ceptin' it's a buzzard. I tried one on'em onct when I was 
scoutin', on the Leona, and though I hadn't had a bite of any- 
thing fur more'n two days, I couldn't go it. It was tougher 
than ole bull, and its legs and wings, when they was drawed 
up by the fire, looked like bundles of fiddle strings, and what 
little meat there was on it, tasted jess like a cayote smells. 
Buzzards ain't good, I'll admit, but almost everything else 
I've tried will sorter do, perviden you are powerful hongry — 
even rattlesnake ain't as bad as it looks, and their fat is fust 
rate to fry poor doe in." "What!" exclaimed Cudjo, "fry 
meat wid rattlesnake fat! fore gracious dere ain't none ob it 
gwying inter my skillit." "I agree with you, Cudjo," said 
Mr. Pitt, "everybody who likes them can take their rattle- 
snakes, skunks and bull frogs, but for my part I will always 
take beef or mutton in preference." "In course," said Uncle 
Seth, "but sometimes when we can't git biskets we kin worry 
down corn dodgers purty well." "Next to buzzard," con- 
tinued Uncle Seth, "I ruther think the most onsatisfyin' eat- 
ing I ever tried was some of them little highlan' tarrypins. 
Once when I was out on a scout, and we was mity hard up 
fur 'provender,' durin' the day, I picked up three of them 



The Young Explorers, 99 

varmints and put 'em in my shot pouch, thinking they would 
make a respecterbil bait when I got to cam[) that night. 
Well, jess as soon as we stopped, I started a fire, fur I was 
powerful hongry, and when it had burnt down a little, I kiv- 
ered up my tarrypins in the hot embers — bein' the only way 
I had to cook 'em. When I thought they was done I raked 
'em out and cracked 'em open with a rock, but I'm a Dutch- 
man's boy ef there was a varsal thing inside of 'em but the 
backbone, which was stuck fast to the shell, and a little wad 
of dried grass! They's nothin' but hulls, jess like the post 
oak mast arter it's been blasted by the frost. I didn't have 
much to brag on in the way of supper that night, and I've 
never tried highlan' tarrypins since — 'twont do to bother 
with 'em." "And yet," said Mr. Pitt, "the French consider 
them a great delicacy — almost equal to fried bull frog legs." 
"Yes," replied Uncle Seth, I have always hearn tell that the 
French was a mity handy people at cookin' — that they kin 
make a purty good soup out'n a brickbat, and ef so, it stands 
to reason they could out'n a highlan' tarrypin. It does beat 
all natur," continued Uncle Seth, who seemed to be in one 
of his moods for "yarning," "it does beat all natur the way 
them French kin fix up purty fair grub e'en amost out'n any- 
thing, and as it'll take Cudjo awhile to git them steaks ready 
fur supper, and ef you say so, I'll tell you how one on 'em 
once fixed up a good squar meal of vittels fur me." *'0h, of 
course, we would all like to hear about it," said Willie, who 
was as fond of a "tough yarn" as he was of a tender steak. 
^'Don't hurry with them steaks, Cudjo, for you know I like 
mine well done." So saying, he took a seat near Uncle Seth, 
and we all did the same. 

"Tain't much of yarn arter all," said Uncle Seth, modestly, 
''but may be so it will help to pass the time tell supper's 
ready. Well, you see," said Uncle Seth, after he had seated 
himself comfortably on an old buffalo skull he had picked up 



100 The Young Explorers, 

near camp, and got his pipe to going satisfactorily, ''about 
two years ago I was huntin' some runaway stock on the out- 
skeerts of the settlements, when I come to a shanty 'bout sun- 
down where I had been told a Frenchman had started a 
ranch of some sort. As I knowed it was the only place 
where I could stop at fur ten miles, the way I was goin', I 
thought IM ask him fur a night's lodging and a bite of sup- 
per. So I lit from my horse, hitched him to the fence, and 
went in. Jess as I stepped on to the stoop^ a little fat, sore 
eyed poodle dog, come yelpin' out at me, but I gin him a 
kick in the side with a double sole, No. lo, pot metal boot, 
that sent him inter winter quarters right off. Bimeby, the 
Frenchman come in from where he was workin' in his grape 
vine patch, and he was mity glad to see me, fur it turned out 
he was an old acquaintance of mine, and had stopped at my 
ranch fur two or three months, when he fust come out to 
Texas, and I had gin him the best I had, and a good saddle 
nag inter the bargain when he left, because he 'peared to be 
a mity clever sort of a feller ef he was a Frenchman. Well, 
arter we had talked a long while 'bout things ginerally, the 
Frenchman stopped all at once, scratched his head and 
didn't open his mouth fur more'n a minit, and commonly, 
you know, a Frenchman kin out talk a woman at a quiltin'. 
I see he was bothered 'bout something, but in course I had 
no ijee what it was. At last he says, 'you travel long way to- 
day, my fren— plenty hungry, hey?' 'Yes,' says I, 'I've been 
riding ever sence daybreak, and I think I could worry down 
a mouthful or so.' 'Ah!' says he, sorter to himself like, 'eet 
is too bad, too bad! noting in de house fur my old frien's 
suppaire — eet is too bad, by gar!' and then he scratched his 
head agin and 'peared to be in a deep ponder. All at once 
he jumped up and said, 'I'll keel Marar — you stay here my 
fren,' says he, 'and I go in ze kitchen and make some sup- 
paire,' and off he went in a hurry. I loaded my pipe and be- 



The Young Explorers. 101 

gun puffin' away at it tell supper was ready, fur I was as snap- 
pish as a half starved cayote. In a little while arter the 
Frenchman left, I hearn the sore eyed poodle fetch one squeak 
as ef he had got another kick in the side with a pot metal 
boot, and I was glad of it, fur ef there's one thing I despise 
on top of the yearth more'n another, it's a sore eyed poodle 
dog. Well, in about an hour — though I thought it was nigh- 
er onto two — fur I was powerful hongry, I was, the French- 
man came back and said supper was ready. So we went 
inter the kitchen where there was a little table sot out with 
three dishes on it, smokin' hot, a loaf of bread and a big cof- 
fee pot at the upper eend. As soon as we had tuck our seats 
at the table, the Frenchman said, 'Will you take cup coffee, 
my fren?' 'In course I will,' says I, 'never ask an old Texian 
ef he'll have coffee^, but jess pour it out and hand it to him, 
and ef he don't drink it down and pass his cup fur another 
(pervidin' it's hot and strong) you'd better send fur a doctor, 
becase he's in a bad way, shore.' The Frenchman lausjhed 
a little at this, but why he did I don't know tell now, fur I 
wasn't joking at all. Howsomever, he poured me out a cup, 
and betwixt you and me, boys, I hain't drunk a better one 
this side New Orleans. 'Take some of ze fricassee,' says he, 
pushing one of the dishes handy to me. 'What you call it?' 
says I. 'Chien,' says he, which I thought was his outlandish 
name fur "chine." I helped myself to 'bout a pound of it, 
fur it smelt fust rate, and tasted better'n it smelt. 'Well, my 
friend,' says I, arter I had cleaned my plate, 'you must have 
tuck a power of trouble to git all the bones out'n this chine, 
but it's fust rate and no mistake.' 'Try a leetle of ze "bool- 
yee,'" says he, pushing another dish in reach of me. 'And 
what do you call this?' says I, helpin' myself to a pound or so. 
'Chien,' says the Frenchman. 'Chine again?' says I, — but it 
didn't look like the other mess, nor taste like it nuther, though 
it was fust rate and I emptied my plate in short order. 'Take 



102 The Young Explorers. 

some of ze ''pate,*' ' says he, handing me the last dish. 
^What's this made of?' says I. 'Chien/ says he. 'Chine agin?* 
says I. 'Well, well, this beats all natur. I wouldn't have 
thought chine could have been fixed up in so many ways,' 
says I. 'Oh, yes,' says the P'renchman; 'my granfader cook 
for ze Prance de Joinville, and he write one book de cuisine. 
I learn heap tings from dat book.' *I should think so,' says 
I, 'and I would be glad to reckermend your grandpappy's 
book to the Texas people. It would be worth a heap to them 
in hog killin' time,' says I, 'fur then its chine, chine, chine, 
three times a day, and always cooked in the same old way.' 
Howsomever, I don't think I ever ate a heartier supper in 
all my life. 

"The next mornin' we had chine agin fur breakfast, stewed, 
biled and fried, and they was all No. i. I stowed away 
enuff, I thought, to last me the forty odd miles I had to ride 
that day, and then went oiit to the crib and got my nag. Jess 
as I was mountin' him to make a start, I says to the French- 
man, 'What's become of the little poodle dog you had here 
last night? I ain't seen him sence.' says I. 'Ah! poor lit- 
tle Marat,' says he, 'I keel him.' 'Kill him!' says I, 'and 
what did you do that fur?' 'Fur you suppaire,' says he, 
*and I keel my granmoder ven my ole fren' come see me, and 
I no got noting fur him eat.' As soon as he said this I felt 
kinder sick at the stomack, though I ain't overly squeamish 
'bout such things, but I told the Frenchman good-by and rid 
off, without givin' him a piece of my mind as I intended to at 
fust, fur, thinks I, a feller that'll kill the only stock he's got on 
his ranch fur my supper, has did his level best anyhow, ef it 
was a sore eyed poodle dog. But the more I thought 'bout 
that sore eyed poodle the sicker I got, tell at last I parted 
company with all I had tuck of him fur breakfast — but I ruth- 
er think what I eat fur supper stuck by me, fur I made a long 
ride that day and was as spry as a grass widder when I got to 



The Young Explorers. 103 

my journey's end. There's no doubt about it,'^ added Uncle 
Seth by way of conclusion, "that the French can beat all na- 
tur at cookin — not even exceptin' Cudjo, though I'd bet on 
Cudjo's beatin' them a runnin' ef the Mexican hogs was arter 
him, and give 'em fifty yards the start." "Dar you comes 
agin," said Cudjo, "wid dem eberlastin' Mexican hog dat 
Mass Lawrence and Mr. Jack has been plaguin' me about tell 
Fze as sick of 'em as you was of dat poodle dog. I doan 
want to hear nothin' more of 'em, and I'll go to sleep right 
off." And, saying this, Cudjo stretched himself, head on, by 
the fire, where he lay like a warrior (dusky) taking his rest, 
with his Mexican blanket around him. Pretty soon we all 
followed his example, except Mr. Pitt, whose time it was to 
stand guard. 

During the night, great numbers of wolves congregated 
around our camp, attracted, I suppose, by the smell of jerk- 
ed venison. Their incessant howling at length roused up 
every one, for sleep was out of the question in such an uproar. 
It was so terrific that even Cudjo was awakened from his 
slumbers. "Bress de Lawd!" he muttered, "I nebber hear 
sich a racket afore in all my born days. I wish Mass Seth 
only let me gib 'em. one blizzard, I bet I make 'em yelp toder 
side dere mout." "Spose you do gin 'em a pop," said Uncle 
Seth, "'twon't do any harm, and I'm afeard ef something ain't 
done to stop their howlin' they'll stampede our horses." Thus 
encouraged, Cudjo jumped up, seized his blunderbuss, in 
which he had rammed a double charge of powder and buck- 
shot. "Mind, don't shoot towards the horses," said Uncle 
Seth, '^and take good aim at the thick of the howlin'." "Dat's 
jess what I'm gwine to do," said Cudjo, and leveled his piece 
at the thick of the howling he pulled the trigger. A report 
followed like that of a small cannon, and the next moment 
Cudjo was sprawling among the ashes of our camp fire, from 
which, however, he quickly scrambled forth, bringing with 



104 The Young Explorers, 

him a strong smell of singed wool. "I tink dey quit dere 
yowlin' now/' said Cudjo, *^but bress de Lawd! dat gun kick 
worse'n a pack mnle. I doan care fur dat dough, case I spec 
I kill 'em all." We did not suppose that Cudjo had killed 
all, nevertheless, the report of the blunderbuss had evidently 
frightened them a good deal, for their howling ceased entire- 
ly, and our slumbers were not disturbed by it during ihe rest 
of the night. 

Early next morning we were all roused up by the triumph- 
ant exclamations of Cudjo over the carcass of a very large 
lobo wolf, that had been killed by the discharge of his blun- 
derbuss. "Look dat feller, will you," said Cudjo, as he drag- 
ged the dead wolf into camp. ''I knowed I got some on 'em 
when dat gun go off lass night. Golly! what tush! I tell you 
I had ruther meet Marthy Jane on de road of a dark night 
dan dat feller. But I spec he won't come yowlin' round here 
any more." He was, in fact, one of the largest lobos we had 
ever seen. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Off AGAIN — Wild turkeys emigrating — A mirage — Meet 

A COMPANY OF TRAPPERS — WiLD CATTLE UnCLE SeTH 

kills one — Indian hieroglyphics — Cooking a beef's 
HEAD — Where the wild cattle originally came from — 
A vast drove of mustangs — Uncle Seth spins another 
yarn. 

As soon as breakfast was over we mounted our horses, and 
turned our faces again towards the unexplored regions of the 
West. Up to this time we had followed a pretty well defined 



The Young Explorers. 105 

trail, leading from San Antonio to some place on the Rio 
Grande, but after crossing the Hondo creek, we left the trail 
and steered our course in a direct line towards the lower pass 
of the canon de Uvalde, on the Sabinal creek. Occasionally 
we would fall into a buffalo or mustang trail, which we would 
follow as long as it did not deviate materially from our di- 
rection, but usually we were guided by a pocket compass, 
which Mr. Pitt had with him. 

No fresh Indian sign was seen to-day, except a few "sig- 
nal smokes" a long way off to the northwest. About noon 
we halted on the bank of an arroyo for the purpose of graz- 
ing our horses an hour or so. Here we saw a most unusual 
sight — an immense drove of wild turkeys emigrating from one 
portion of the country to another. Our attention was first 
drawn to them by an incessant noise of clucking and gob- 
bling, and in a few moments afterwards the head of the col- 
umn made its appearance on the top of a slight elevation to 
our left. They were coming directly towards us, and very 
soon we found ourselves surrounded by hundreds. They paid 
no attention whatever to us or our horses, merely dividing 
their column to avoid us, as they did when a clump of bushes 
or any other obstacle stood in their way. They were mov- 
ing in a southwest direction, and fully ten minutes elapsed 
before the last stragglers of the drove had passed us. A num- 
ber of cayotes hovered about the flanks and rear of the drove, 
following it, as we supposed, for the purpose of picking up 
any that might be accidentally disabled, or give out on the 
way. We could easily have killed as many of these turkeys 
as we wished, but it would have been wanton waste to have 
done so, as we could not take them with us — consequently we 
let them pass unmolested. I had heard old frontiersmen say 
that wild turkeys sometimes emigrated from one section of 
the country to another in immense droves, but this was the 



106 The Young Explorers. 

first time anything of the kind had ever come under my own 
observation. 

After resting an hour or; so we proceeded on our way, and 
did not halt again until we struck the Seco creek, about 
twenty miles from our last camp. Shortly after we left the 
arroyo where we had nooned, we witnessed one of those sin- 
gular phenomena, called a '^mirage,'' which ar* frequently 
seen on the high and arid prairies of the west. To the south 
of us a single plain extended, without a single tree or bush 
upon it, as far as the eye could reach. Suddenly a large 
lake, with a forest on the farther side, made their appearance 
in this prairie apparently at a distance of three or four miles. 
But we knew there was neither a lake nor forest in that di- 
rection, for only a few moments previous to their appearance 
we had noticed that nothing but the open prairie was to be 
seen in that quarter; nevertheless, so perfect was the repre- 
sentation we were half inclined to believe our eyes had been 
deceived in the first instance, and that the lake and forest 
were realities. The forest seemingly came up to the edge of 
the lake on the farther side, and the inverted shadows of the 
the trees were plainly depicted in the waters below them — 
the shadows of a shade. **Bress de Lawd," said Cudjo, "I 
tink we better all turn 'roun and go back home — dere's some- 
thing wrong 'bout dis outlandish country any how — jess 
now dere wan't nuthin' out yander but de perara, and now 
dere's big woods and a pond long side of 'em. It's a mity 
curus t'ing, and I'm afeard we gwying to hab trouble." Un- 
cel Seth said he had seen a great many of these mirages, and 
old hunters had told him of travelers on the great western 
plains who had been deceived by them when suffering with 
thirst, and enticed so far away from their route by these im- 
ages of false lakes, which receded as fast as they advanced, 
that they perished miserably before they could gain the road 
they had left. "Ef dat's de way dey sarves a pusson," said 



The Young Explorers. 107 

Cudjo, ''I ain't gwying arter none of 'em ef I'se dyin' fur a 
drink, tell I see de duck and goose swimmin' 'pon 'em, and 
de fish jumpin' spang out'n de water. Ef dey fools me arter 
dat dey's welcome." 

Mr. Pitt said he had a theory of his own to account for the 
mirage. He said that in some peculiar conditions of the at- 
mosphere, and at certain '^angles of incidence," with the ob- 
jects^ represented, their images will be thrown upon open 
plains, perhaps many miles distant from the localities where 
the objects really exist. "But, however that may be," said 
Mr. Pitt, "there is not the least doubt, in my mind, as to one 
fact, which is, that the images depicted are always exact rep- 
resentations of real objects that exist somewhere." "If this 
were not so," added Mr. Pitt, "how does it happen that the 
images invariably assume the appearance of natural objects, 
such as lakes and forests? Beyond all question, the mirage 
is simply the development of some grand photographic pro- 
cess in the laboratory of nature." *'I spec you's right Mass 
Pitt,'* said Cudjo, as confidently as if he had comprehended 
all Mr. Pitt had said, "I spec you's right 'bout dat, and jess 
as you say, de debil's at the bottom of it — I tink we better 
turn roun' and go back home." 

Game of all kinds was very abundant in the country we 
passed over to-day. We were scarcely ever out of sight of 
herds of deer, and occasionally a herd of antelopes was seen. 
Once we passed a solitary old buffalo bull that was standing 
on the apex of an abrupt elevation gazing upon the little band 
of explorers so presumptuously trespassing upon his domains. 
He looked like a very tough old customer, and we left him in 
undisturbed possession of his native wilds. In the chapparal 
we flushed several flocks of a species of quail that differed in 
some respects from the common "Bob White," of the 
"States." They were a third larger, and of a bluish or lead- 
colored hue. 



108 The Young Explorers, 

Just after we had emerged from an extensive chapparal 
into an open prairie, we saw a number of large animals 
of some kind, ahead of us, but they were so far off 
we could not tell what they were, Mr. Pitt, however, 
took a peep at them through his spy glass, and said they 
were men on horseback, or rather that there were four men 
on horses, and six loose animals. "See which way they are 
travelin'," said Uncle Seth. After another look at them 
through his glass Mr. Pitt said "he thought they were com- 
ing towards us, but they were so far off he couldn't say 
whether they were Indians or white men/' '' Well, ef there's 
only four on' em," said Uncle Seth, **it don't matter much 
what they are, fur we kin sartainly hold our own agin any 
sich squad as that." In a little while Mr. Pitt took another 
look at the party, and said ^*he believed they were white 
men, though he was not certain." "Let me have the ^bring- 
'em near,'" said Uncle Seth, whereupon Mr, Pitt handed 
him the spy glass, and after a long look at the party, he said, 
"they are white men, fur," said he, ''they've got hats on, 
and I never knowed an Injin to wear anything on his head 
excepting a feather or so, or maybe a pair of bufferler 
horns." 

When we had approached to within a mile of the party we 
noticed them come to a halt, apparently for the purpose of 
reconnoitering us as we had done them, in order to ascertain 
what we were, and whether our intentions were hostile or 
friendly. It was in this cautious and suspicious way that par- 
ties at that day, when meeting on the plains, made their ad- 
vances towards each other. In this instance the strangers, 
it seems, soon came to the conclusion that we were white 
men, or else, if Indians, that our party was such a small one 
they could easily cope with us — at any rate they moved to- 
wards us again. As they came up within speaking distance 
one of them said to us, ''Hello! strangers, which way are you 



The Young Explorers. 109 

traveling?'^ Uncle Seth, who as usual was in the advance, 
replied that "we weren't bound fur any place in perticler — 
only lookin' roun* at the country." "Well," said the one 
who had first spoken, *'we're mighty glad to see you any 
how, for you^re the first white men we've laid eyes on for the 
last lour months." He then informed us they were on their 
way back to the settlements from a trapping expedition — that 
they had been as high up the country as the head waters of 
the Llano, where they had found beavers very abundant, and 
had been very successful in trapping them — that their pack 
animals were loaded with their peltries, etc. He told us, 
also, that they had had several very narrow escapes from In- 
dians on the waters of the Llano, and advised us to keep a 
good look out for them in that quarter. He said they had 
not tasted bread for two months, and we gave them a few 
pounds of hard tack and some tobacco. In return they pre- 
sented us with a dozen dried beaver tails (a great frontier 
delacacy), and as many buffalo (ongues. After some further 
confab with the trappers we bid them good-by, and proceeded 
on our way, and they again took their course towards the 
settlements. 

In about an hour after parting with the trappers, we came 
to some timber skirting a small stream. Just as we were 
about to enter this timber, we discovered a herd of wild cattle 
grazing on the edge of it about a mile below. Uncle Seth or- 
dered us to conceal ourselves within the timber, and wait 
there until he could slip down under cover of it and get a shot 
at the cattle, as he said we needed something fresh for supper. 
"Now, boys,'* said he, as he dismounted from his horse and 
tied him to a tree, *'don't budge a foot tell you hear my rifle 
go off, then you kin make fur me as fast as you please, fur I 
reckon I shall git meat," and so saying he reprimed his rifle 
and went off at a dog trot through the timber. I dismounted 
from my horse, and walked to the edge of the prairie, from 



110 The Young Explorers, 

whence the cattle could be seen, to watch the effect of Uncle 
Seth's shot. In about fifteen minutes after he had left us, I 
saw a faint puff of white smoke issue from the timber, and be- 
fore the report of the gun reached my ears, I saw one of the 
cattle tumble headlong to the ground, and the remainder 
scampering off in the wildest affright. I hastened back to my 
horse, mounted him, and we all galloped to the place where 
we saw Uncle Seth standing by the beef he had killed. As 
we came up. Uncle Seth was just in the act of giving the an- 
imal the "coup de grace" by drawing his butcher knife 
across its throat. It was a yearling and as fat as a stalled ox. 
*'I could have killed a bigger one," said Uncle Seth, "but 
there wasn't any fat cows in the drove, and a yearlin's better 
meat than old bull." He then stripped the hide from a part 
of the animal, cut out the tenderloin and about twenty pounds 
of steak from one of the hind quarters. ''It is a great pity," 
Said Uncle Seth, "to leave so much good meat on the perara 
fur the cayotes and buzzards, but there's no help fur it. How- 
somever," he added, when he had tied the pieces of meat he 
had sliced from the carcass on the pack mule, ''we will camp 
purty soon, and I 'spose we might as well take the critter's 
head too, fur it is the best part of the animule when it's fixed 
up right." "Ki! Mass Seth," said Cudjo, -'how we gwine to 
cook 'em? We can't bile 'em in de coffee pot, nur fry 'em in 
de skillet." "Never mind,'' said Uncle Seth, cutting off the 
animal's head and tying it to the horn of his saddle, 'I"ll 
show you how to co©k it when we git to camp. It was not 
more than a quarter of a mile to the creek, and as soon as we 
struck it, we pitched camp, near a pool of water, under the 
shelter of a live oak tree, so thickly covered with a grape 
vine, that we did not take the trouble to stretch the tent. 
Our encampment was just on the edge of a little prairie or 
rather meadow covered with luxuriant mesquite grass on 
which we staked our animals. Whilst gathering fuel for afire, 



The Young Explorers, 111 

I noticed the representations of a dog and several arrow 
heads painted upon the smooth bark of a tree near by. I 
called Uncle Seth's attention to them and asked him if he 
knew what they meant. He said he did not, but that they 
had been made by Indians for the purpose of giving informa- 
tion to any of the tribe who might pass that way. He said 
that all the tribes he was acquainted with had certain signs 
and characters by which they could convey information to 
one another — such as the number of their party, where they 
had been or were going to, how many scalps they had taken, 
how many horses had been stolen, and if any of the party 
had been killed in battle, etc. We noticed similar signs and 
carvings frequently afterwards, some of them so ancient as to 
be almost obliterated, recording, no doubt, the details and 
incidents of many a long past foray into the settlements. 

While Cudjo was preparing supper, Uncle Seth dug a pit 
in the ground with his butcher knife, deep enough to receive 
the yearling's head. In and around it he placed a quantity of 
dry wood and set fire to it. When the heap had burnt down 
to coals and ashes, he raked them oiit of the pit and put the 
yearling's head in it and covered it over with hot ashes. Then, 
piling a quantity of fuel on it, he left it to its fate. "It's a 
slow way of cookin', boys,*' said Uncle Seth, "but in the 
mornin' we'll have a breakfust off 'n that head that will beat 
all natur in the way of vittels." 

By the time Uncle Seth had fixed the head satisfactorily, 
Cudjo had supper ready, and we all took our seats around the 
platters with appetites well sharpened by our ride. Cudjo 
had cooked the steaks to perfection, and after giving them a 
fair trial, we came to the conclusion, unanimously, that the 
meat of the wild cattle was more juicy and tender than that 
of its domesticated congener; and besides, that it had the 
true game flavor. ''Mr. Pitt," said Henry, with his mouth 
so full of steak he could hardly articulate, **do you know 



112 The Young Explorers, 

where the wild cattle of this country originally came from?" 
"Yes," said Mr. Pitt, '^they were brought here by the Span- 
iards when they first came to this country more than one 
hundred and fifty years ago. Some of the missions establish- 
ed by them were destroyed by the Indians, and the stocks of 
cattle and horses belonging to them, unherded and uncared 
for, gradually relapsed into a state of nature. From these 
have descended all the vast herds of wild cattle and horses 
that now roam the country from Red river to the shores of the 
Gulf of Mexico. There is one singular fact in regard to these 
wild cattle, which is, that there is no variety of colors among 
them, such as we find among domesticated stock — all of them 
being of a uniform dun color, with a dark streak along the 
back. But on the contrary, the colors of the mustangs are 
even more varied than those of our domesticated animals." 
'*Uncle Seth," said Henry, "I have heard old hunters tell 
about the vast herds of wild horses they had seen at times on 
the plains between the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers, and I 
would like to know how many you ever saw in a drove." **I 
can't say adzackly," said Uncle Seth, "but onct when I was 
with a party trailin' Injins on the Pintas, t'other side of the 
Nueces, I seed a drove of mustangs that was four or five miles 
long, fur it was a dead level perara, and theykivered the face 
of the yearth as fur as I could see, and the tramplin' of their 
feet made sich a racket, I couldn't hear a man speak in two 
yards of me." "Oh, my! Uncle Seth," said Willie, "that 
story beats any of Baron Munchausen's. It would take a 
million of horses to cover the prairie as far as you could see." 
"I don't care how many it would take," said Uncle Seth, as 
he bit off the end of a plug of Virginia twist, "the horses was 
thar ef it tuck twenty million, fur I seed 'em with my own 
eyes.'* "Oh, I didn't mean to dispute your word. Uncle 
Seth,'' said Willie, "but it seems to me it would take a very 
great number of horses to cover so much ground." '*Yes it 



The Young Explorers, 113 

does," naively replied Uncle Seth. "I have seed droves of 
two or three thousand frekwently, but that's the only time I 
ever seed sich a crowd of ^em together. I 'sposed they were 
movin' from one part of the country to another, where there 
was more water and grass. There was three or four wild 
chaps along with us, and jess for the fun of the thing, they 
charged their horses right inter the thick of the mustangs to 
make 'em stampede, but they didn't stampede worth a cent, 
becase they couldn't, fur the horses behind didn't know there 
was anything wrong ahead, and kept pushin' on so that them 
in the lead couldn't git out'n the way ef they had wanted to 
ever so bad. The boys, somehow, got tangled in the drove, 
and they had to travel with it four or five miles before they 
could get out. They, and their horses too, were sick enough 
of that little spree, I can tell you, and the only wonder is 
they wan't tramped to death. In twenty or thirty years from 
now," continued Uncle Seth, "I reckon the mustangs will be 
purty well killed or driv off, and ef a feller was to tell sich a 
story as that about 'em nobody would believe it, though it's 
true as gospel." "It's pretty hard to swallow, even now," 
said Willie to me in a whisper. 

After supper we spread our blankets on the grass around 
the fire and stretched ourselves upon them, for, although we 
had pitched the tent, the weather was so pleasant no one 
cared to occupy it. It's too soon to go to sleep yet," said 
Lawrence, "and 1 move that Uncle Seth tell us another yarn;" 
and every one seconded the motion. Uncle Seth pulled out 
a plug of James river from his pocket, from which he cut sliv- 
ers, and immediately stuffed them first into one side and 
then the other of his mouth, until his cheeks were puffed out 
like a ground squirrel's, and, after chewing them a while, he 
took deliberate aim at a blazing chunk that had rolled off the 
fire, and spit it out the first pop. 

"Well, boys," said he at last, "I don't believe I've told you 

17 



Hi The Young Ex^jlorers. 

yit about the tight race the Injins gin me 'bout a year ago 
on the head of York's creek. You see I had went up there 
'long with a party of surveyors that had hired me to hunt for 
'em. They agreed to give me three dollars a day fur every 
day I brung as much meet inter camp as they could eat, and 
I never missed aiming my wages but onct (though folks kin 
git away with a power of m.eat when campin' out, and bread 
stuffs is scarce), and that was the day the Injins gin me sich 
a clost race. But the fact is a feller don't hunt wuth a cent 
with a gang of Injins yellin' behind him like a pack of hon- 
gry cayotes; and even ef he gits away from 'em, his narves is 
kinder onsettled like, and he can't draw a clost bead on any- 
thing — leastwise I've found it so. Well, on that day I had 
started out from camp fur my reg'lar rations of meat, but 
somehow the deer 'peared to be oncommon scarce, and I had 
traveled, I reckon, 'bout four miles from camp afore I seed 
one. Howsomever, at last I got a pop at a drove of bucks, 
and upped one of 'em in his tracks. I lit from my pony (fur 
you seel wan't ridin' Roarer then), and hitched him to a bush 
tell I could butcher the deer. There was a purty large 
perara to the norrard, and jess as I had 'bout half peeled the 
hide from the buck I happened to look up that way, and I 
seed fifteen er twenty Injins comin' 'lickety split' jess as fast 
as their ponies could let it down. I thought it would be best 
perhaps to put off skinnin' my deer tell the weather changed, 
so I grabbed up my gun, bounced outer my pony and started 
fur camp with all the run I could git out'n him with a rank 
pair of spurs. I hilt my own fur 'bout a mile in the race, but 
then I seed the red devils was beginnin' to gain on me, and 
as I had nigh onto three miles yit to go afore I got to camp 
I thought there was a purty fair show fur your Uncle Seth to 
lose his scalp. Howsomever, when I found there wasn't any 
chance to beat the Injins a fair race I determined to stock 
the kerds v.-_ 'em, and 'play it low down.' 'Bout three quar- 



The Young Explorers. Ho 

ters of a mile ahead of me there was a eonsiderable rise in 
the perara, with some thick chapparal on the fur side, and I 
made fur that as fast as my pony could go. He was purty, 
peart I knowed on a short stretch, only he couldn't keep it 
up, and I punished him powerfully with the spurs tell I got 
him to lift his feet like a regular race nag, and jess as he was 
'bout to 'cave in' I got to the rise, and in a minit or so I was 
-out'n sight of the Injins. I then jumped off'n my pony, and 
tyin' him with the rope to a bush, I lit out on foot 'bout as 
fast as a man ginerally travels in that way when bizness is 
pressin'. My igee was that when the Injins come up and 
seed my pony tied to the bushes they would naterally think 
I was lyin' in 'em with my rifle ready to pop over the fust one 
that ventered in reach of it, and that it would be so long 
afore they diskivered I wan't there they wouldn't have much 
chance to catch me. And so it turned out, fur when they 
come in sight of my pony tied to the bushes they thought, in 
course, I was lying low there, and that somebody would be 
hurt ef they charged on me, for an Injin you see is mity cau- 
tious 'bout chargin' onto a feller when he's in a thicket and 
they can't see adzactly where he is, ner what he's doin'. Well, 
all this time I wan't standing still, I kin tell you, fur I was 
liftin' one foot up and then the other, and puttin' 'em down 
purty rapid towards camp, and I got there, I reckon, 'bout as 
soon as I could have made the trip on the pony. I told the 
boys what had brung me back on foot, without any meat, 
and they mounted their horses and went with me to where I 
had left my pony, and there he was still standin' tied to the 
bush. The moccasin tracks were thick all 'round the chap- 
paral, but there wasn't one nigher than fifty yards of that pony. 
The Injins thought I was lyin' clost by, and they was 
afeared to ventur' up." 

"Well, you fooled *Mr. John' pretty badly that time. Un- 
cle Seth," said Willie, "but not more complete than Mr. Pitt 



116 The Young Explorers. 

did last winter on the Lavaca." "How was that?*' said Uncle 
Seth, ^'I want to larn all the ways of sarcumventing the red 
devils, fur there's no tellin' how soon a feller may have a use 
fur some on 'em in this country — and speakin' 'bout Injins,'' 
continued Uncle Seth, reflectively, "I never could onder- 
stand adzactly what they was made fur, anyhow. Ef they 
was intended to keep the white people from settlin' up these 
new countries there was somethin' wrong in the calcerlation, 
fur they've made a dead failure of it. Ever sence Ameriky 
was diskivered, they've been tomerhawkin' and scalpin' 
folks, but jess as fast as they kill off one family two more 
moves out next year ten miles beyant, and the 'far west' gits 
further and further off every day — and ef it^s a fact, as some 
say, that the world is round, I 'spose arter a while the nighest 
way to git to it will be to travel east. But I reckon," con- 
tinued Uncle Seth, "that Injins was made fur somethin', 
but what that is i can't tell any more than I kin tell what 
fleas and muskeeters was made fur. Howsomever, that ain't 
neither here ner there," said Uncle Seth, "and I would like 
Mr. Pitt to tell us about the way he gin 'em the dodge over 
on the Lavaca." 



CHAPTER X. 

Mr, Pitt tells of his narrow escape from a party of Co- 
manches dobell attempts the sentimental, but '^pe- 
TERS out" DISGRACEFULLY — ROUTING A BEAR FROM HIS 
CAVE CUDJO WAS "iN AT THE DEATH," BUT HAD NO HAND 

IN IT — Uncle Seth tells how he made the acquaintance 
OF the first bear he — didn't kill — The Canon de 
Uvalde — How the canon acquired its name — Sugar- 
loaf Mountain — The old mine — Uncle Seth tells how 
he was ''jugged" by the Mexicans at Matamoros. 

*'Well, it isn't much of a yarn, no how," said Mr. Pitt, "and 
it won't take me long to tell it. Last winter I was staying at 
the house of a friend of mine — then the most frontier settle- 
ment on the Lavaca. There was a tract of land on a small 
tributary of that stream about six or seven miles from my 
friend's house, which I wanted to examine, and one morning 
I mounted my horse and started off alone, thinking I would 
have plenty of time to look at the land and get back to din- 
ner — but, in fact, I made the trip much sooner than that. 
My friend remonstrated with me when I left on my impru- 
dence in venturing out so far alone, but I only laughed at his 
warnings, and told him all the Indians in the Comanche na- 
tion couldn't catch me on 'Gitout,' as I called the half- 
breed horse I have now. My friend shook his head at this 
and told me if I depended on running away from Indians 
even when mounted on the redoubtable Gitout, I might find 
myself badly mistaken, as their superior horsemanship in rid- 
ing over broken and rough country, would enable them to 
overtake me, although their ponies might be far inferior to 
mine. He said he had known several instances, since he 



118 The Young Explorers. 

had settled in the country, in which men had been run down 
and killed by Indians on their ponies, notwithstanding they 
were mounted on thoroughbred horses. I told my friend I 
had no doubt all he said was true, but that I had determined 
to look at a certain tract of land that day, and that I should 
do so, trusting in the speed of Gitout, as I had done on many 
former occasions — and saying this I rode off. The truth is, 
however, that my rashness, as my friend called it, was the re- 
sult, not so much of my confidence in the speed of my horse 
as of the fact that no Indians had been seen in the vicinity 
for several months, and, therefore, I did not think it yery 
probable I should encounter any that day. But as Uncle 
Seth says, when you least expect to see an Indian, then keep 
your eyes skinned. Although it was in mid winter, the morn- 
ing was mild and pleasant, and as I galloped briskly over the 
prairies and through the beautiful open groves of timber that 
dotted them here and there, I forgot that there was ever such 
a thing as an Indian in existence. In about an hour I reach- 
ed the locality of the land I wished to examine, and while I 
was busily engaged in trying to follow one of the lines of the 
survey by means of a pocket compass, I came suddenly on a 
party of Comanches, who had been hidden from view until I 
was in three or four hundred yards of them, by a thicket grove. 
They discovered me at the same instant, and giving their ter- 
rible war whoop they started towards me at full speed. I 
wheeled Gitout promptly in the direction of home, and dig- 
ging my spurs into his flanks I hurried off from that locality, 
for I was satisfied it was not a healthy one. Gitout respond- 
ed beautifully to the call I made upon him, and went off in 
regular race-horse style. At first I found I had increased 
somewhat the distance between the Indians and myself, but 
after a while I saw plainly that they were slowly gaining upon 
me, and that if something wasn't done pretty soon they 
would certainly come up with me long before I could reach 



Tlie Young Explorers. 119 

the house of my friend. The Indians also had evidently no- 
ticed they were closing up on me, and evinced their exulta- 
tion by the most terrific yells, which made my blood almost 
curdle in my veins. But there is nothing like eminent dan- 
ger to sharpen one's wits — at least in the case with myself. I 
had given myself up for a 'goner' when a plan to escape sud- 
denly occurred to me. About a mile ahead of me there was 
a creek very appropriately named Boggy, which could only 
be crossed at one place for a mile or so above and below it. 
I thought tt possible the Indians were ignorant of this, and I 
determined to make a push for Boggy, at a point several hun- 
dred yards below the crossing, and as soon as I was hidden 
from the view of the Indians by the narrow skirt of timber 
bordering the the western side of the creek, that I would turn 
my course up it, cross over as quickly as possible, and get 
back opposite to where they had lost sight of me, by the 
time they came up, and thus lead them to suppose I had 
crossed the creek at that point. .\\. any rate this seemed to 
be the only chance I had of escaping the red devils who were 
yelling behind me, and I put the spurs unsparingly to Gitout 
and kept him at the very top of his speed until I came to the 
creek and got under cover of the narrow strip of timber bor- 
dering it, which concealed my movements from the Indians. 
From thence I quickly reached the ford, crossed over and 
hurried back down the creek until I was nearly opposite the 
point where I first struck it. I then started off on my orig- 
inal course through the prairie, but had scarcely gone fifty 
yards when the Indians appeared on the other side. They 
had no suspicion of the ruse I had played upon them, and 
the moment they saw me they yelled louder than ever, and 
charged down the creek bank directly opposite me, suppos- 
ing of course I had crossed at that point. I halted an in- 
stant to see the result of my ruse. The Indians came rush- 
ing down the bank helter skelter, plunged into the creek, and 



120 The Young Explorers. 

I had the satisfaction of seeing their riders floundering help- 
lessly in the treacherous quicksand, which at that place 
would have bogged a blanket. I did not think it obligatory 
upon me to turn back and help 'the noble red men' out of the 
mire, although I was undoubtedly the cause of their getting 
into it — on the contrary, just before I galloped off I turned 
in my saddle and made some contemptuous gestures at them, 
which so infuriated them that one or two, who had managed 
to scramble out on foot, fired their guns at me, but of course 
without effect. I galloped off slowly, as I felt sure it would 
take them so long to extricate their horses from the embraces 
of old Boggy that they would abandon the chase, which no 
doubt was the case, as I saw nothing of them afterwards. 

"When my friend saw me come galloping up on Gitout, and 
that the horse was in a lather of foam, he suspected at once 
what had occurred, and repeated those old border rhymes to 
me^ beginning 'It was early in the mornin' — in the spring 
time of the year, That me and Gineral Johnsing went out to 
kill a deer. But the Injins comed upon us, and gin us sich a 
scare, That we returned home ag^in, and did not kill the 
deer.' " 

"You gin the Injins a purty cute dodge that time, I'll ad- 
mit," said Uncle Seth, ''and you ort to marry now and settle 
down on Boggy fur the rest of your days. It sarved you a 
good turn once, and it mout do so ag'in ef your wife got ran- 
tankerous, pertickler ef she didn't know the fords well — but," 
continued Uncle Seth, taking an observation of the full moon, 
which was then in the mid heavens, "I think it's about time 
fur all honest folks to be in bed," and so saying he picked 
out a soft place on the grass, rolled his blanket around him, 
and was soon fast asleep. All the rest followed suit except 
myself, for it was my time to stand guard, and in a little 
while not a sound was audible in camp, save the incessant 
champ! champ! of the horses as they cropped the luxuriant 



The Young Explorers, 121 

grass, and the snoring of Uncle Seth and Cudjo, who seemed 
to be carrying on a kind of "nasal duet." I am conscious I 
have but little sentiment in my composition, and yet when 
alone at night on the "boundless prairies" I have experienced 
something very akin to it as I have watched the stars, slowly ' 
and silently moving across the heavens, and listened to the 
weird and melancholly sounds wafted to my ears from the 
"wilderness" by the passing breeze, itself the most mournful 
of all, as it sighs through the rank grass or the foliage of over- 
hanging trees. This feeling I have never experienced in 
cities or the crowded haunts of civilization, for the reason, I 
suppose, that one's identity is lost in the multiplicity of num- 
bers, but aloue in the forest or prairie we feel as if we were 
an appreciable portion of the mighty universe around us, and 
— and — (N. B. — If anybody is writing a "dime novel," and 
they should think they could work the foregoing into it ad- 
vantageously, they are perfectly welcome to make use of it. 

In a couple of hours Lawrence came out and took my place 
on guard, and returning to camp, I rolled myself up in my 
poncho, and slept like a log until morning. Sentiment al- 
ways did have a stupefying effect upon me. When I awoke, 
I found that everybody was up, and that Uncle Seth was busy 
preparing the yearling's head for breakfast, which he had un- 
earthed, and which he said was done "jess right." After 
carefully stripping it of the scorched hide, he scraped off the 
fat and fleshy parts of the head into the frying pan, and then 
breaking the skull with a hatchet, he scooped out all the 
brains with a spoon and mixed them with the meat. This, he 
salted and peppered to taste, and then fried the whole mess 
with a little bacon gravy. "Now, boys," said Uncle Seth, 
when it was done and he had helped each one to a liberal 
portion of it, '^now, boys, jess tackle that will you, and when 
you hear folks talkin' 'bout their frog's legs and chicken fix- 
ins, tell 'em they won't know what good eatin' is afore they 



122 The Younc/ Explorers. 

tries a beefs head." In fact, it was excellent, and we were 
unanimous in our praise of it, particularly Cudjo, who gave 
it as his deliberate opinion "that Mass Seth's yearlin' fixins 
was better'n 'possom fat and sweet mertaters;" and, of course, 
after that, nothing more could be said in its praise. 

As soon as breakfast was over, we packed up our goods and 
chattels, mounted our horses and took our way towards a line 
of high hills to the northwest. Nothing unusual occurred on 
the route, and about an hour before sunset we struck the Sab- 
inal creek, several miles below where it breaks through the 
chain of high hills that hem in the canon de Uvalde. We 
had steered our course, as we thought, directly for the pass, 
and had expected to camp that night in the canon, but Un- 
cle Seth had been misled as to the precise route by mistaking 
one high hill for another, in consequence of which, we struck 
the creek several miles lower down than he intended. As 
night was so near at hand, we concluded to stop, which we 
did, beneath the shelter of a grove of pecan trees that grew in 
a small valley shut in by high hills. We did not think it 
worth while to pitch the tent, for within twenty paces of the 
spot we had selected for our camp, there was a huge flat rock 
projecting from the bluff, under which we concluded we could 
take shelter if any change of weather should render it neces- 
sary to do so. The little valley was covered with a rich 
growth of wild rye and mesquite grass, on which we staked 
the animals. "Boys," said Uncle Seth, "while you'sfixin' up 
things 'bout camp, I believe I'll step out and git some 'fresh' 
for supper." But just then Willie, who had gone off a short 
distance to collect some fuel, came rnnning back and report- 
ed that there was a bear in a small cave a hundred yards or 
so above us. "Why, how do you know he is in the cave," 
said Lawrence, "did you see him?" "Yes," said Willie, ''I 
did. He came down a tree close by me and ran into the 
cave. He had broken off a good many branches from the 



The Young Explorer 123 

tree and thrown them on the ground." "Oh yes," said Un- 
cle Seth, ''he was up thar buddin', fur at this^time of the year 
they lives mostly on the buds and twigs of some sorts of trees. 
Well, boys," said he, "I reckon I'll not go arter deer meat, 
fur bar meat is better, pervidin' it ain't poor and tough, so 
we'll go and see ef we can't rouse this feller out'n his den." 
We were all ready for the sport, and seizing our guns, hurried 
off to the cave. "Cudjo," said Uncle Seth to that dusky 
Chevalier Bayard, who had left his pots and platters and 
snatched up his blunderbuss with the evident intention of 
having a share in the fun, "I reckon you'd better bring a 
chunk of fire along with you, fur I expect we'll have to smoke 
the bar out'n his den." In a few moments we reached the 
cave, which was at the foot of a high bluff. The entrance 
was about as large as a hogshead, and we all anxiously peered 
into it to see if Mr. Bruin was within, but it was so dark in- 
side that nothing was visible beyond a few feet from the open- 
ing. "I don't know how we can get him out of his castle," 
said Henry, "unless we send Cudjo in after him." ''Fore 
gracious," said Cudjo, "I ain't gwine inter dat hole ef you 
trow a bag of money down dar." "Oh, there's no danger," 
said Henry, "for a bear won't fight in his den." "Umph! de 
debil truss him," said Cudjo, "fur I won't." "Boys," said 
Uncle Seth, ''there ain't but one way to git cuffy out'n that 
hole, and that is to smoke him out. Let Cudjo start a fire 
jess inside the cave, and we'll stand outside with our guns, 
and as soon as the smoke fetches him, we'll all have a pop at 
him." Uncle Seth's suggestion was acted on at once, and 
whilst Cudjo was kindling a fire just withia the mouth of the 
cave, we stood around it with our guns cocked, ready to give 
cuify a general fusillade as soon as he should make his ap- 
pearance. After a while, Cudjo, who was just within the 
mouth of the cave, called out, "I tink he gib in purty soon 
now. I hear him snifflin' fur he breath." Scarcely were the 



124 The Young Explorers. 

words out of his mouth when we heard a great '^rippit" in the 
cave, and Cudjo rushed out, closely followed by the bear, 
that could no longer endure the stifling smoke with which 
the cave was filled. Bruin, however, was as badly scared as 
Cudjo, and evidently thought of nothing but making a retreat 
as speedily as possible; but the moment he showed his snout 
outside, the contents of half a dozen guns were poured into 
his carcass, and he fell dead. Cudjo had grabbed his blun- 
derbuss as he came out of the cave, and was just in the act of 
letting it off at the dead bear when Lawrence stopped him. 
*'Did you ever see a fellow as scared as Cudjo was when he 
came from that hole?" said Willie.. "He had turned right 
ashy, and his eyes stuck out of his head like a crabs. Why, 
you coward," continued Willie, ^'the bear wasn't after you at 
all— he only wanted a little fresh air." "Maybe so," said 
Cudjo, "but I tink he want some nigger too, fur I see de debil 
in he eye when he come snortin' — dey look jess like two ball 
ob fire — and I tell you what^s de fac, Mass Willie, de next 
time you trees a bar in a hole like dat, you kin jess go in dar 
and make smoke youself, fur I ain't gwine to do it agin, 
certin." 

The bear proved to be a young one about half grown, and 
though not fat, (as they seldom are in the spring of the year), 
nevertheless, was in pretty fair condition. We lugged him 
into camp, where we butchered him at our leisure, after we 
had cut off some choice steaks and handed them over to the 
tender mercies of Cudjo. ''Boys,'' said Uncle Seth, *'you 
musn't be too hard on Cudjo fur gittin' out'n the way of that 
bar so quick. I remember mity well I was as bad scared as 
he was the fust time I ever got inter clost quarters with one 
of 'em." "How was that?" said Willie, who was always on 
the qui vive for a yarn. "Soon arter I fust come out to Tex- 
as," said Uncle Seth, "I concluded I would take a hunt one 
day on purpose to kill a bar. Well, in the course of the day, 



The Young Explorers. 125 

I seed one busy rootin' among some dead timber, a hundred 
yards or sich a matter from where I was. 'Bout half way be- 
twixt me and the bar, I noticed a big oak tree that had been 
blowed down, and as I thought the bar hadn't seed me, I con- 
cluded I would crawl up to that tree, which would bring me 
within fifty yards of him, and then, with a dead rest on top of 
it, I made sure I could fetch him the fust pop. So I got 
down on my hands and knees and crawled along towards the 
tree, snaking my gun arter me as I went. I never riz up to 
look tell I come to the tree, for fear the bar mout see me, but 
when I got to it, I slowly raised up to take a peep at him, 
and jess as my head come even with the top of the log, the 
bar poked hisen over from the other side and our noses almost 
teched. He gin one yowl and tumbled backwards, and I gin 
another and tumbled backwards, too, on my side of the fence, 
and when I had sorter come to, I seed the rascal tearing off 
like a harrycane fur the swamp. I don't know tell this day 
which was the the wust scared, me or that bar." 

The night passed off quietly, and the next morning after an 
early breakfast, we packed up as much of the bear meat as 
we could carry, and started for the canon de Uvalde some 
four or five miles distant. Our course was up the creek, and 
the country we passed over was rugged and broken, and in- 
tersected in some places by deep gulches which were difficult 
to cross, but at length we came to the "pass" and began to 
ascend the high rocky ridge that shut in the valley on the 
south, along a very narrow trail, hardly wide enough at any 
place for two horses to travel abreast. After toiling up this 
rugged pass for some time, we finally reached the highest 
point, and the whole valley of the Uvalde came at once into 
view, extending northwardly as far as we could see, and sur- 
rounded on all sides by precipitous rugged hills, covered 
with stunted cedars and other kinds of shrubs. On a small 
plateau of ground, the very apex of the high ridge we had as- 



126 The Young Explorers. 

cended, we all halted a moment to look at the beautiful val- 
ley, spread out like a map before us. It was indeed a charm- 
ing and romantic scene that presented itself to our sight — 
one I had never seen surpassed, even among the mountains 
and valleys of the Blue Ridge of Virginia. The valley was 
about twenty-five miles in length, and varying from two to 
five in breadth. The Sabinal (Cypress) a clear, rapid stream 
meandered through it in curves, from side to side, its whole 
course from the high point where we stood, being plainly 
marked out by the tall cypress trees growing along its mar- 
gin. The valley was undulating but not broken, and wds dot- 
ted here and there with groves of live oaks, pecans, elms, and 
other forest trees, giving it a parklike appearance. Far away 
up the valley, Uncle Seth pointed out some dark looking ob- 
jects, which he said were either buffalo or wild cattle. We 
all took a look at them through Mr. Pitt's spy ejlass or "bring 
'em nigh," as Uncle Seth called it, and satisfied ourselves 
beyond all doubt that they were buffalo, their shaggy manes 
and humps being distinctly visible by means of the glass. 
Descending by a narrow crooked trail very similar to the one 
we had come up, we at length reached the valley proper, and 
crossing over to the western side, we pitched camp near the 
Sabinal, in a large grove of pecan trees, a few hundred yards 
above the point where the stream had forced its way through 
the high ridge at the southern extremity of the valley. The 
pass along the stream, as we afterwards ascertained, was al- 
most impracticable even for a man on foot, for the bed of the 
creek was obstructed by many huge boulders that had rolled 
down from the cliffs on each side. In fact, as we found out 
subsequently, the canon could be entered on horseback at but 
tw(^ points — through the pass we had just traveled and by a 
similar one at its northwestern termination. Everywhere else 
we saw, on all sides, only precipitous walls of rock, broken 
and jagged, and sparsely covered where the inclination was 



The Yc ■ _.- J^.iirs. 127 

not too great for the accumulation of soil, with a growth of 
small cedars and various thorny shrubs. In gome places, 
little rivulets poured down the sides of these rocky walls, form- 
ing beautiful miniature cascades which sparkled in the sun- 
light like veins of molten silver. The canon took its name from 
that of a Spanish officer (Uvalde) who, according to tradi- 
tion, surprised a large party of Comanche warriors in it, and 
having taken the precaution to station a force at each of the 
passes, not one of the Indians escaped. 

In the grove where we had stopped, we found the remains 
of a large Indian encampment — broken lodge poles, numer- 
ous pits that had been used for cooking purposes, and quanti- 
ties of bones and other offal scattered around; but the "sign" 
was all old, showing that the encampment had been abandon- 
ed for several months. Apparently about a mile to the north- 
east of the grove in which we had camped, we observed a 
singular sugar loaf hill, rising abruptly from the plain, and as 
soon as we had staked our animals, Mr. Pitt, Lawrence, Wil- 
lie and myself took our guns and started off with the intention 
of climbing to the top of it. But in place of being only a 
mile off, we traveled at least two before we reached it, so 
much had we been deceived as to its actual distance. The 
western side of the sugar loaf hill was almost perpendicular, 
but to the east it was somewhat sloping and we determined to 
ascend it and see what was to be seen from the top of it. 
Depositing our guns at the base, we began to climb the hill, 
which in some places, even on that side, was so steep that we 
had to pull ourselves up by grasping projecting points of 
rocks, or the stunted shrubs growing in their crevices. At 
length, with considerable difficulty, we gained the top, and 
the view we had from our elevated position amply paid us for 
our labor. We could see the whole valley spread out before 
us, and near at hand, so near apparently that it seemed as if 
we could almost have thrown a stone into it, our camp in the 



128 The young Exp' overs 

pecan grove, with the horses picketed around it, and the 
smoke from ojir fire curling up above the top of the trees. 
The hill terminated in ia sharp point, consisting of a flat rock 
not more than twenty or thirty feet in diameter. Around the 
edges of this rock there were a good many loose boulders, 
and we amused ourselves for some time rolling them down 
the precipitous sides of the hill. It was glorious fun, Willie 
said, to see them rushing down the steep declivities like an 
avalanche, gathering momentum as they descended, until at 
last crashing with irresistible force through everything in the 
way, they went bounding on the plain below. ''If we only 
had a good supply of 'dornecks' up here,'' said Willie, "we 
could whip the whole Comanche nation." "Oh, no doubt of 
it," said Lawrence, "but suppose they were to pitch their 
camp just beyond the range of our rocks and wait patiently 
for us to come down for water or something to eat — what 
then?" But Willie made no reply to this as his plan of war- 
fare did not include a regular siege. After we had exhausted 
all our ammunition in the shape of boulders, we concluded 
to descend from our impregnable position, but before we did 
so, Willie pulled off an old red flannel shirt he had on, and 
tied it to the end of a stick, which he stuck in a crevice of 
the rock. "There," said he, when he fixed it satisfactorily, "I 
hereby formally take possession of the canon de Uvalde in 
the name of Gen'l Sam Houston and the Republic of Texas." 
We gave three cheers to Willie's banner which flaunted brave- 
ly "from the outward walls," and started down the hill, which 
we found to be more difficult than coming up, and before we 
reached the bottom we all had a tumble or two, but without 
serious injury to any of us. Shouldering our guns, we started 
for camp, but had gone only a few yards from the base of the 
hill when we came very near walking into a deep pit, the 
mouth of which was almost wholly concealed by thick bush- 
es growing around it. Near this pit or shaft, there were heaps 



The Young Explorers. 129 

of scorial and rubbish, and the remains of what evidently had 
been a furnace. The shaft was twenty-five or thirty feet 
deep, and on one side of it, leaning against the wall, there 
was a rude ladder constructed of two cypress logs with rounds 
fastened between them. Mr. Pitt attempted to descend the 
shaft by means of this ladder, but on trial he found it was 
so decayed he was afraid to venture. He was the only one 
of us who pretended to any knowledge of such things, and 
after some examination, he came to the conclusion that a 
mine of some kind had been worked there a long time ago, 
probably by the Spaniards, but what sort of metal they had 
taken from it he could not tell, although, from the appear- 
ance of the ore scattered around the old furnace, he had but 
little doubt it was silver. He took some small pieces of the 
ore and put them in his shot pouch, intending, as he said, to 
have them assayed the first opportunity he had, but he lost 
them before we returned to the settlements. [I have never 
visited the canon de Uvalde since that time, nor do I know 
whether or not any one ever subsequently discovered this 
mine, but it can be readily found, as it is only a few steps 
from the northeastern base of the sugar loaf hill in the lower 
end of the canon.] 

We got back to camp just as Cudjo had dished np dinner, 
and as our walk of five or six miles, to say nothing of our 
scramble up and down ^'Sugar Loaf," had whetted our appe- 
tites, we seated ourselves without much pressing around the 
platters, and did ample justice to his cookery. The dinner 
consisted of bear steaks, flapjacks fried in bear's oil, hard 
tack, a pot of boiled rice, coffee, etc., and wild artichokes, 
which last grew abundantly in the vicinity of camp. After 
we had drank about a quart of strong coffee apiece, and par- 
taken of the substantial in proportion, we felt as if we could 
have tackled the highest peak of the Rocky Mountains if it 
had been handy to us. The wild artichokes mentioned in 

18 



180 The Young Explorers. 

the foregoing bill of fare, grow abundantly in some portions 
of northwest Texas, usually upon rocky and barren soils. 
The plant is very similar in appearance to *'bear grass,'^ but 
its leaves are serrated and of a deeper green. The best 
mode of cooking them in the woods, is the same as that for 
cooking a beef or deer's head. A trench is dug and a fire 
built in it. When thoroughly heated, the ashes and coals 
are raked out and the roots put in and covered with them, 
where they are left for several hours. Prepared in this way 
they are really an excellent vegetable, and make a very 
acceptable addition to the hunter's ordinary repast. We 
told Uncle Seth about finding the mine near Sugar Loaf hill, 
and he said he had been informed by the Mexicans at San 
Antonio, that a great many years ago the Spaniards had 
worked silver mines in this canon, but he did not know that 
any traces of them had ever been found unless the shaft we 
saw indicated the locality of one. "There ain't no doubt at 
all," continued Uncle Seth, "that the Spaniards, who were 
terrible fellers for nosing out gold and silver, did work a good 
many mines in this section, and some day when the country 
settles up they will be found." 

As it was two o'clock in the evening by the time we had 
finished dinner, Uncle Seth concluded it would be best to 
remain where we were till next morning, and give our horses 
a chance to "fill up" on the luxuriant grass in the vicinity. 
It was so fine, that instead of picking a mouthful here and 
another there, as horses usually do, they "mowed" it evenly 
along as they fed. In order to keep us employed. Uncle 
Seth made us overhaul all our guns and pistols. Clean and 
oil such as needed it, and see that all our equipments gen- 
erally were in good condition. "There ain't nothing," said 
he, "that helps more to keep a man's har where it naterally 
belongs, in an Injin country, than always havin' his shootin' 
irons in good fix. About home it don't matter so much, but 



The Young Explorers. 131 

in these diggins a feller mout lose his har jess becase his 
spring triggers wan't well greased. In time of peace you 
know, we must prepar for war. I hope there won't be any- 
war, but ef there should be it will be a real satersfaction to 
know we kin depend on our shootin' irons." 

After the work of cleaning our arms was finished, each one 
occupied himself for the rest of the evening as he chose. 
Henry was on guard. Mr. Pitt and Lawrence went off pros- 
pecting in the gulches for "nuggets." Uncle Seth ''stepped 
out," as he said, to get a "venson." Cudjo went to work 
with needle and thread to sew up several gaping rents in the 
rear of his pants through which a good deal more of his shirt 
was visible than the bosom, and Willie and I went fishing in 
a deep pool about a hundred yards below camp. We found 
it literally swarming with fish of several varieties, and they 
were so totally unsuspicious of the hook that it seemed al- 
most cruel to take advantage of their ignorance. In less 
than an hour we caught more than we could possibly eat for 
supper, and returned to camp. Mr. Pitt and Lawrence came 
in soon afterwards with "their pockets filled with rocks" but 
there were no rich nuggets among them — nothing in fact 
more valuable than some beautiful crystals of quartz. In a 
little while Uncle Seth came in also, bringing with him the 
tenderloin and hams of a fat "barren doe." By this time 
Cudjo had finished his tailoring, and went to work to prepare 
supper out of the abundant materials with which we had sup- 
plied him. Several of us occasionally lent him a helping 
hand, and notwithstanding the old saying, "that too many 
cooks spoil the broth," in a little while we sat down to a re- 
past that would have tempted the appetite of an anchorite- 
hot coffee, strong enough to suit the taste of an old Texan — 
bear meat, venison steaks, fried bass and perch, flanked by 
platters of *'dundefunk" highly seasoned with chili pepper. 
Everyone wielded a trenchant knife and fork — especially 



182 The Young Explorers. 

Cudjo, who when he had finished his vigorous onslaught on 
the eatables, gave it as his deliberate opinion that *'dis 
Uvalde canon would be a fust rate place to live in ef it wan't 
fur dem dratted Injins dat's always skulkin' roun' here wid 
dere bow and arrer, jess to git a chance to sculp folks that's 
gwying about tendin' to their own bizness. What you reckon 
dey was made fur anyhow, Mass Lawrence?" "Well, I don't 
know," said Lawrence, "what you reckon javalinas were 
made for?" *'0h, shucks! Mass Lawrence, ain't you nebber 
gwying to quit talkin' 'bout dem eberlastin' Mexican hogs? 
I 'spose dey's made to run arter nigger, but dey don't cotch 
him ebery time, I kin tell you." **No," said Lawrence, nor 
bears either." "Well, I'd ruther have the bears arter me dan 
de javalinas, fur dey's mity good meat ef you kin git 'em, 
but dem dratted long leg Mexican hog will run a nigger tell 
his tongue loll out, and den when you cook 'em dey's dat 
strong a tuckey buzzard couldn't eat 'em." ''A penny for 
your thoughts," said Willie to Uncle Seth, who was sitting 
silently by puffing his pipe and diligently whittling a splinter 
of cedar wood. "I was jess then thinkin'," said Uncle Seth, 
"ef a feller could only come back to this country fifty or 
sixty years from now, he wouldn't hardly know it. The 
Injins, the buffalers and the bars would then all be gone — 
houses, fields and gardens would kiver all the land, and in- 
stead of the yelpin' of wolves and cayotes, he'd hear the 
chicken cocks crowin', the church bells ringing, the chil- 
dring laughin' as they went to school, or hunted haws and 
'simmons in the woods, and may be so, the puffin' and rat- 
tling of a steam engine on the iron rails. I ain't a very old 
man yit," continued L^ncle Seth, "and I've already seed 
three States grow up out'n the wilderness, that's filled now 
with white people and their housen and farms and big cities. 
I reckon it's all fur the best, though I can't help feelin' a lit- 
tle sorry when I see the bufferlo and the bars driv further 



The Young Explorers. IBS 

and further back every day, and big farms fenced in, right 
where my best hunting ground used to be. Howsomever," 
added Uncle Seth, reflectively, "I reckon there'll be game 
enuff somewhere to last my time, and that's all I need care 
fur. I ain't got no fambly to look arter and I kin pull up 
stakes and foller it as I've been doin' for the last thirty odd 
years." "I will not have to exclaim then, like the Moor," 
said Mr. Pitt, "Othello's occupation's gone." "I never 
knowed Mr. Othello," said Uncle Seth, "but ef he had 
nothin' at all to do I pity him. I never was in that fix but 
onct myself, and that was when the Mexicans had me jugged 
at Matamoros, jess becase I stole some horses from 'em to 
pay for them they stole from Texas. They kep me nigh 
onto two months in a little room 'bout eight feet squar, with 
only one winder to it, which wan't much bigger than the 
mouth of a botlle gourd, and there wan't a thing inside of it 
exceptin' your Uncle Seth and the bufferlo hide he had to 
sleep on. I tell you boys, I never was so hard put to it to 
pass the time in all my born days. Ef I had had a leetle soft 
pine er cedar fur whittlin', it wouldn't have been so bad, but 
they wouldn't let me have it nor a knife to whittle it with. 
I berlieve ef it hadn't been fur a mouse I would have gone 
plum crazy afore I got out'n that jug. I couQted every crack 
in the walls and made a calcerlation of how many squar 
inches there was in 'em, floor and all, which tuck me a con- 
siderable time, fur you see I was never very spry at cypherin', 
but at last I got through with the sum, and then I said over 
to myself everything I had learnt by heart, including the 
multerplication table, and two or three prars my mammy had 
learnt me, when I was a little shaver, and which I hadn't 
said fur many a long day before, the more's the shame fur 
me. At last I got through with everything I could think of, 
and then all I could do was to lay down on my bufferlo hide 
and look at the naked walls, that shut out the blue sky and 



134 The Young Explorers 

the green grass and trees. One day when I was layin* in 
this way and just ready to gin in fur good, I seed a little 
mouse poke his head out'n a hole, and look roun' in a sort 
of inquirin' way. 'Come in my little feller,' says I, afore 
I thought what I was doin', 'come in and I'll treat to the best 
I have,' which was a crust of bread. But instead of comin' 
in, he dodged back inter his hole, and I didn't see him any 
more for an hour. Then he poked his head out agin, and 
this time I kep as still as a mouse myself, and purty soon he 
crept out easy, and little by little he sided up to a crust of 
bread that was layin' clost to my face. I didn't wink my 
eyes, and when he had eat as much as he wanted, he slipped 
back agin to his hole. Well, from that time on, he come out 
every day reglar fur his breakfast, dinner and supper, and at 
last when he found I wouldn't hurt him, he got so tame he'd 
eat out'n my hand, and then jump aroun' the floor like a kit- 
ten. There's no tellin' the comfort that little varmint was to 
me, and I railey berlieve ef it hadn't been fur that mouse 
that I would have gone stark - stavin' mad afore I got out'n 
that jail in Matamoros. No boys," continued Uncle Seth, 
"this thing of havin' nothin' to do, is the hardest work I've 
ever tackled yit, and I'd a heap ruther be out here in the 
woods foot loose, ef I had to run from bears and javalinas 
every day, than to live safe from all sorts of varmints in that 
jail at Matamoros.' 



CHAPTER XI. 

Mr. Pitt's odorous yarn — Turkey roost — Dobell shoots 
one without getting out of bed — kill our first buf- 
FALO — The beaver's dam — Buffalo steaks and ribs for 
Supper — Uncle Seth tells how Bill Shanks, on his 
little muel, beat his race nag "far and squar" — Wil- 
lie sticks a slow (but sure) match to Cudjo's foot. 

"That story," said Mr. Pitt, "reminds me of a little affair I 
had with a mouse myself, and as it's too soon to turn in yet, 
I'll tell it to you. 

"Soon after I came to Texas,'' said Mr. Pitt, "I went with 
a party from Houston to Austin. As there was some talk of 
establishing the seat of government at the latter place, and I 
held a clerkship in the House of Representatives, I wished 
to see the locality that probably would be my 'stamping 
ground' for some time to come. There were ten of us in the 
party, all well armed and mounted, for anywhere after leav- 
ing the suburbs of Houston we were likely to encounter hos- 
tile Indians; and in fact, we had quite a lively skirmish with 

fifteen or twenty Comanches, at the crossing of— creek, 

in which one of our party was so badly wounded we were 
compelled to leave him at the next settlement. But that has 
nothing to do with my present yarn. 

"A few days after our arrival at Austin, five or six men from 
eastern Texas stopped there, who were on their way to the 
city of San Antonio. I had heard a great deal about the 
'ancient city' and was desirous of seeing it before returning 
to Houston. Finding the men from eastern Texas had no 
objection to my joining them I determined to do so. At that 
time the only settlement between Austin and San Antonio 



136 The Young Explorers, 

was the village of New Braunfels, and as there was no public 
house in the place for the accommodation of travelers, my 
kind landlady, who was aware of the fact and knew I would 
have to camp out a night on the way, wrapped up two or 
three pounds of cold mutton and some biscuits in a napkin 
and handed it to me just as I was mounting my horse to 
leave. I thanked her, slipped the package in my saddle 
bags — and forgot all about it until after my arrival at San 
Antonio. My companions had a pack mule loaded with sup- 
plies for the road, and as they insisted I should take supper 
with them when we encamped, I forgot entirely I had a snack 
in my saddle bags. It was in the latter part of June, and as 
usual at that season of the year in Texas, the weather was so 
hot as to render the stereotyped question, 'is this hot enough 
for you,' entirely unnecessary, for it was hot enough to suit a 
Hottentot. Soon after we started the next morning one of 
my companions asked me if I did not notice a very disagree- 
able smell. I told him I did and that I had observed it now 
and then ever since leaving camp. This disagreeable odor 
continued to follow us persistently all day, and the same 
question was frequently asked by others, but nobody could 
answer it, unless as some one suggested there had been a very 
fatal epidemic amongst the stock in the country. 

''About two o'clock in the evening we arrived at San An- 
tonio, and put up at the 'Veramendi,' at that time the only 
public house in the city, kept by a Mr. Lockmar, an Italian. 
There were no private rooms for guests in the establishment, 
but one large apartment in which there were sixty or seventy 
canvas cots, served as a common dormitory for all. Lock- 
mar ushered us into this room and pointing out a cot to each 
one of us, he told us they were ours as long as we saw proper 
to stay at 'the best hotel io Texas,' and that dinner would be 
ready for us in about an hour, when we would have a show 
at some of the 'best beef and frijples in Texas.' As we found 



The Young Explorers. 137 

out subsequently, Lockmar did not exaggerate in the least as 
to the quality of his fare, but even 'the best beet and frijoles 
in Texas' will become a trifle monotonous, if they are served 
up three times a day for weeks, without anything else. 

As we wished to take a look at the city while dinner was 
being prepared, we threw our saddle bags under the cots 
alloted us, and sallied out upon the streets. I did this with- 
out the least fear of losing my 'luggage,' and would have 
done so even if ray saddle bags had contained articles of 
much greater value than a spoilt snack,— which they didn't — 
for whatever may be said against the 'old Texans' they are 
not given to pilfering. I admit that they are a little careless 
sometimes in the way they handle their 'shootinp: irons,' 
especially, when a Mexican is likely to be shot if they should 
go off accidentally, but such crimes as robbery or murder 
for plunder is altogether unknown among them. But, I am 
wandering from my story, and will 'return to my muttons,' in 
the saddle bags, albeit they are badly tainted.* 

*NoTE. — In corroboration of Mr. Pitt's assertion "that robbery and 
murder for plunder," were crimes unknown to the "old Texans," I 
will relate the following incident: Not long after the close of the 
Mexican war, I was employed by Maj. Hutter, paymaster of the U. 
S. Army, to act as his guide in going from one place to another in 
Texas, for the purpose of paying the ''extra claims" due the soldiers 
who had served in that war. The first question Maj. Hutter asked 
me when I joined him at Houston, was "Do you think it necessary I 
should have an escort with me?" He said he would have more than 
half a million in gold in his ambulance, but if I thought he could 
travel safely through the State without an escort, he would risk the 
chances of being robbed, as the government would not pay for one. 
I told him if he had to defray the expenses of an escort, I would cer- 
tainly advise him to travel without any, as I thought I knew the 
Texans well enough to guarantee he would not be robbed on the trip. 
Maj. Hutter took my advice and with only two men and his driver 
and more than half a million in gold in his ambulance, he traveled 



138 The Toung Exploiters. 

"When we supposed we had given the landlord of the Vera- 
mendi House time enough to have dinner prepared for us, 
we turned our steps towards it. As soon as we came in sight 
of it we perceived that somethidg unusual was taking place 
at the hotel, as a crowd was standing around the entrance, 
and others were seen hurrying out, every one, singularly 
enough, with a handerchief pressed tightly to his nose! As 
I entered the door I met a Frenchman hastening out, and I 
asked him if the hotel was on fire. Instead of answering my 
question, he said, 'My fren, vill you be so goot to tella me 
eef you know vere I find some room in zis house wizout ze 
dead dog? Ah, pouff I eet is vorse zan ze turkey boozard's 
denair.' Utterly mystified by what he had said, I hurried 
on to the dormitory and just as I reached the doorway an 
Irishman came bolting through it with his nose closely 
pressed between his fore finger and thumb. 'What's the row, 
my friend?' said I. 'Row?' said he, 'Faith and bejabers if 
you go into that room you'll purty soon find out what the 
ruction is.' And he went on without further explanation. 
I stepped through the door and the moment I did so I was 
nearly floored by the most villainous smell that ever saluted 

safely over a large part of Texas and through thinly settled portions 
of the country where often a house was not seen for fifteen or twenty- 
miles. Besides, Maj. Hutter had advertised in the papers some time 
before he left Houston, that he would be at designated towns and vil- 
lages on such and such days for the purpose of paying those who had 
served in the Mexican war, and of course everybody in the country 
knew that necessarily, he would be compelled to have a very large 
amount of money with him — yet he made the trip safely and without 
the loss of a dime. I'll bet my old "slouch" against a Mexican som- 
brero with a silver snake *'quiled" around it, if Maj. Hutter, or any- 
one else should attempt to-day to travel the route he did in '48, with 
half a million in gold in his ambulance and only three men to guard 
it, he wouldn't get twenty miles from where he started before the 
"road agents" would order him "to hold up his hands." 



The Young Explorers. 139 

f 

my nostrils — and I have been in New Orleans, during the 
dog days. All the guests who had congregated in the com- 
mon sleeping apartment to take their evening's siesta, (then 
'the costumbre del pais') had risen from their cots, and 
were running here and there, examining closely every nook 
and corner where it was possible a dead animal mi2;ht be 
hidden. Lockmar and all his 'peons' were present also, 
aiding in the search for the dead dog (or whatever it was). 
Stepping up to him i asked him if he had any idea what it 
was that caused such a horrible smell in the house. 'No,' 
said he, 'I haven't — when you and your friends came here, 
most of my boarders were lying on their cots taking their 
siesta, and in a few moments after you went out the row be- 
gan, — and as they are all alive yet, and we have searched the 
room closely without finding even a dead mouse, I am wholly 
at a loss to account for it.' Just then one of the boarders 
who was peeping under my cot with his nose in six inches of 
of my saddle bags, exclaimed, 'It's close about here some- 
where, certain.' 'What is it? Where is it?' Said every one 
as they crowded around my cot. At that instant for the first 
time, I thought of the snack of cold mutton I had put in my 
saddle bags at Austin! Thinks 1 it will never do to let all 
hese people know that my snack is at the bottom of all this 
commotion. But how to get it out of my saddle bags and 
out of the house without being observed was the question. 
Fortunately, there was a little cuddy in a corner of the room 
near me used as a receptacle for worthless trash, and peeping 
into it I exclaimed loud enough for every one in the room to 
hear me, 'Here's your dead ,dog at last.' In a moment 
everybody had gathered around the cuddy, and taking advan- 
tage of their eagerness to get a peep into it, and the general 
confusion, I slipped through the crowd unnoticed, hurried to 
my saddle bags, tore them open, seized the snack and — 'Ah, 
pouff !' as the Frenchman said, *eet vas vorse zan ze turkey 



140 The Young Explorers. 

• 

boozard's denair.' Hastily thrusting it under the skirt of a 
frock coat I was wearing, I sauntered towards the door, look- 
ing as unconcerned as I could and as if I had no particular 
interest in the row that was going on; but like the Spartan 
youth who kept a smiling countenance while the stolen fox 
under his toga was gnawing at his vitals, rather than confess 
the theft, my 'sang froid' was altogether assumed. A num- 
ber of the guests (refugees from the dormitory) had collected 
on the street about the entrance to the hotel, and I was com- 
pelled to pass through the crowd. As I did so, two dozen 
noses vv^ere simultaneously grasped by as many fore fingers 
and thumbs, and no wonder, for I bore along with me an 
atmosphere by no means as fragrant as the breezes 'that 
blow o'er Ceylon's spicy isle.' As I went through, I heard 
my Irishman say, 'Begorra, if that mon has ony friends they 
ought to have buried him a wake ago.' I didn't stop to 
argue the point with him, but walked on till I came to a 
cross street, and turning the corner, I threw that snack as far 
as I could send it into a back yard. When I returned to the 
hotel 'all was quiet along the Potomac,' and everybody was 
wondering what could have caused 'that horrible odor' which 
had disappeared as suddenly and as mysteriously as it came. 
I could have enlightened them on the subject, but failed to 
do so." 

When Mr. Pitt had finished his odorous yarn, Willie asked 
him for a bottle of cologne, "Haven't the article among my 
camp supplies," said Mr. Pitt. "Well, you ought to keep it 
on hand," said Willie, "to take the taste out of a fellow's 
mouth whenever you tell that yarn." 

Just after dark, we heard a great many wild turkeys flying 
up to roost in the pecan trees near camp, and in the morning 
we were roused up by an incessant gobbling and clucking 
that was enough to have awakened the "seven sleepers" (ex- 
actly our number). The trees around seemed to be alive 



The Young Explorers. 141 

with turkeys. When I had got my eyes fairly opened, I no- 
ticed a big gobbler on the top of a small pecan tree, not 
more than thirty yards from where I was lying, and the temp- 
tation to "hist him out" as Uncle Seth would say, was too 
great to be resisted. We always slept with our guns by our 
side, and seizing my rifle, I raised up partially, took deliber- 
ate aim at the gobbler, and at the report of the gun he fell 
with a heavy ''thud" to the ground. "My !" exclaimed 
Cudjo, who was lying near me, "ef dat don't take de rag off'n 
de bush — and de tucky too. I neber see anybody afore lay 
right in he bed, and shoot gobbler, widout gittin' up er even 
kickin' de kiveren off'n him. Dis Uvalde canon is de best 
place we come across yit, where de tucky gobbler fly right to 
you bed and ax you ter shoot 'em. I tink I could soon larn 
to hunt here myself." "Yes," said I, settling myself back on 
my blanket, "hunting isn't such hard work here as it is in the 
old States. It is much more comfortable to lie in your bed 
and have the game come to you than it is to tramp for half a 
dozen miles through swamps and thickets and may be so 
never see anything bigger than a tomtit. Go out Cudjo," said 
I, "and bring in the gobbler, and we will have some turkey 
steaks for breakfast. I have a pretty good appetite after my 
long hunt this morning." 

As we were all anxious to see something more of the canon 
de Uvalde, we determined to devote one day at least to its 
exploration. We therefore packed up most of our dunnage 
and stowed it away in the forks of a tree out of the reach of 
wolves and other wild animals, and turned the pack mule 
loose to follow after us. Then mounting our horses, with 
nothing to encumber us but our guns, we started off towards 
the northwestern end of the valley. The Indian trail we fol- 
lowed le4 us directly up the canon, occasionally crossing the 
Sabinal creek, which meandered from one side of it to the 
other. It was a lovely morning, not a cloud was to be seen, 



14:2 The Young Explorers, 

birds were flitting about and chattering in the groves, herds 
of deer were visible in every direction, and occasionally a 
herd of antelopes were seen "skimming" over the prairies, 
for they do not run like deer by leaps and bounds. For seven 
or eight miles we traveled up the valley without anything of 
interest occurring, but we were charmed with the beautiful 
scenery that everywhere presented itself to our view. At one 
place a few yards above where the trail crossed the Sabinal, 
the stream poured over a solid wall of rock, eight or ten feet 
high, into a deep pool at the base. This pool looked like a 
glorious one for bass and perch, and Willie and 1 wished 
very much to east our lines into it, but just then we were on 
the look out for more exciting sport. About a mile beyond 
this pool, where the valley was wider perhaps than at any 
other point, Uncle Seth who was riding ahead, suddenly 
came to a halt and pointed out to us half a dozen buffalo 
that were grazing in the vicinity of the largest body of tim- 
ber we had seen in the canon. "Now," said he, "I think it's 
time we had a taste of bufferlo hump and ribs, and ef we 
manage right I'm purty sure we kin git one of them fellers. 
We've got the wind of them, and by keeping yon little 'mot' 
bertwixt them and us, we kin git in three or four hundred 
yards of the drove. Then we must make a dash on 'em, 
every feller fur himself, and it will be a hard case ef some on 
us don't git meat, afore they takes to the brush." The buf- 
falo were perhaps half a mile from us, and moving along cau- 
tiously until the "mot" mentioned by Uncle Seth hid us from 
view, we turned directly towards them, and advanced at a 
brisk gallop. The buffalo did not notice us until we had 
passed the mot and were within three or four hundred yards 
of them. Then the race began in earnest, the buffalo head- 
ing for the timber and we following them "helter skelter" 
as fast as we could urge our horses on with whip and spur. 
"The bufferlo is a mity deceivin' animule to git over the 



The Young Explorers. 143 

ground/' as Uncle Seth would say. To look at them from a 
distance when running, you would suppose they were making 
but little headway, but when in pursuit of them, notwith- 
standing their awkward lumbering gait, you would soon find 
that it takes a good horse to come up with them, especially 
when going down hill or over rough and broken ground. In 
this chase, however, as we were all well mounted, and the 
buffalo had not much the start of us, we soon closed on them 
and gave them a fusillade from our guns and pistols. They 
at once turned towards the nearest timber, and all succeeded 
in gaining it except one cow which Mr. Pitt disabled with a 
well aimed shot from his derringer, and before she could 
make her retreat to the timber Uncle Seth rode up and fin- 
ished her. 

One by one the balance of us returned from our unsuccess- 
ful pursuit of the others, and we all gathered round the car- 
cass of the cow Mr. Pitt and Uncle Seth had killed. After 
awhile Cudjo made his appearance on the field, but before 
he got within thirty yards of us, his horse caught sight of the 
buffalo lying on the ground, and wheeling suddenly, ousted 
him from the saddle. Fortunately his head struck first and 
of course he was not hurt, and soon joined us leading his 
unruly steed by the bridle. "How many buffalo have you 
killed?" said Lawrence, to him as he came up. "Fore 
graciousi" Mass Lawrence, said Cudjo, "I ain't been in a 
hundred yards of a bufferlo dis day ceptin' dat one lyin' dere 
on de groun'. Dis horse git ole Nick in 'em jess as soon as 
you start to run. and he ain't done nothin' but pitch right up 
and down in one place eber sence. I'm gwying to steal an- 
oder one from de Injins de bery fust chance I git." *'No," 
said Lawrence, "that won't do. The only way to get a horse 
in this country is to kill the rider and take him, and it's all 
right, but if you take the horse and don't kill the rider, that's 
stealing and you'll swing' for it to a certainty." *'Den I'll 



144: The Young Explorers. 

stick to *paint,' " said Cudjo, "fur I ain't gwying to kill no- 
body fur he horse. Paint's a mity rascal sometime, it's a fac, 
and won't budge a foot if he take de notion in he head — but 
dere's one ting certin', ef I can't be up at de killin', I'll be 
mity close roun' when de steaks is cookin', and dat's de main 
pint." "This critter," said Uncle Seth, poking the ribs of 
the cow with the muzzle of his gun, "is fatter'n butter, and ef 
Cudjo manages 'em right, we'll have some steaks when we git 
back to camp to-night that will beat bar meat a long ways. 
But we must butcher her now, and hang up the meat out'n 
reach of the cayotes." In a few moments with our assist- 
ance, Uncle Seth "peeled the hide" from the buffalo, and 
then cut off the hump, about fifty pounds of tenderloin, and 
a side of ribs, which he hung up in the fork of a tree, and 
covered with the robe to prevent the buzzards from destroy- 
ing it. "It's a pity," said Uncle Seth, as he mounted his 
horse, and looked with longing eyes at the huge mass of fat 
buffalo meat lying upon the ground, "it's a pity to leave so 
much good beef fur the cayotes and tucky buzzards, but it 
can't be helped — we've got all we kin carry back to camp. 
There's many a poor fambly in the settlements that would 
be mity glad to have all that good beef we've left on the 
ground, and I wish they had it. But that's jess the way with 
things in this world," continued Uncle Seth, in a moralizing 
sort of strain, "some folks have more'n they know what to do 
with, and others haven't got nothin' at all — but I reckon it 
will all be squared in the eend — leastwise I hope so." 

Continuing our route up the valley, which became more 
wild and picturesque the farther we went, we traveled on 
until about noon, when we halted in a grove on the banks of 
the Sabinal, to rest our horses and let them pick a little 
grass. Just opposite to where we stopped, the beavers had 
built a dam across the creek, and upon examination we found 
that their work had been done strictly according to scientific 



The Young Kxplorers. 145 

principles, so as most effectually to resist the pressure of the 
water and force of the current — at any rate, so said Mr. Pitt, 
who had been a practical engineer himself. Inside of the 
dam, the houses in which the beavers lived, were built, the 
tops only being visible above the surface of the water. They 
were constructed of poles, and plastered with what appeared 
to be a mixture of mud and grass. We noticed that nearly 
every sappling (and some trees of considerable size) about 
the pond, had been cut down for "house logs." "It does 
beat all natur," said Uncle Seth, "the judgematical way these 
varmints carry on their work. I sorter berlieve myself, as 
many old hunters do, that they are boss carpenters turned 
into beavers, fur cheatin' folks. When Bill Sykes and me 
was trappin' on the Guadalupe," continued Uncle Seth, "I 
tried mity hard to catch the varmints at their work, fur I 
wanted to see how they managed, but fur a long time I never 
could, as the cunnin' critters always diskivered me, no matter 
how sly I was, afore I could git in a hundred yards of 'em, 
fur you see they keeps sentinels reglar on the watch — I detar- 
mined though that I would sarcumvent 'em ef I could, so 
one day I tuck a spade and dug a hole clost to their dam, 
deep enuff fur me to git in, from which I could peep out and 
see all that was goin' on in beaver town, without any chance 
of bein' seed myself, and I kivered up all the dirt I throwed 
out'n the hole with dry leaves and grass, so the beavers 
wouldn't notice it. 'Bout sundown I went to the dam, and 
got into the pit I had dug and kep perfeckly quiet. Soon 
arter dark the moon riz up and made it as light e'en a'most 
as day, and I thought every minit I would see the varmints 
come out and go to work, but fur more'n an hour I didn't 
see nor hear a thing, and I begun to think that may be so it 
was beaver Sunday, and that they wouldn't work that night 
at all — but still I kep quiet and never budged except now 
and again to poke my nose above the top of the pit to see if 

19 



146 The Young Explorers. 

anything was goin^ on. I had jess made up my mind that 
there wan't any use in stayin' longer, when I seed an ole 
beaver come out'n his house, on to the top of it, and look all 
aroun'. The cunnin' varmint suspicioned something was 
wrong, fur he snuffed the wind, and looked mityhard towards 
the place where I was hived. But at last he 'peared to think 
that all was right, and liftin' up his flat tail he brung it down 
on the ruff of his house with a loud smack. The next minit 
the beavers begun to scoot out'n their houses, and dividin' 
up into squads, some begun to cut down saplin's with their 
teeth, whilst other squads hauled and rolled them into the 
water, and some drug mud and grass on their flat tails to a 
place where others were mixin' mortar. All the time this work 
was goin' on, the ole chap that had come out fust and flapped 
his tail on the ruff of his house, was flyin' round from one 
squad to another, orderin' this thing to be did that way, and 
that thing to be did this way, jess as if he had been the boss 
of the whole lay out — and I 'spose he was. It was rally di- 
vartin' to see the way they carried on, everyone workin' like 
— a beaver at his own pertickler business. Bimeby I hearn 
a great racket and to-do at one eend of the pond, and peekin* 
roun' that way out'n my hole, I seed eight or ten of the 
beavers with the ole boss directin' 'em, workin' at a big sap- 
lin' they had cut down. They had got it to the edge of the 
water, but there somehow it had stuck fast betwixt two rocks, 
and they couldn't move it one way or the other. The ole 
boss was in a tearin' rage, runnin' fust to one eend of the log 
and then to the other and cussin' the whole crowd (I know 
he was, in reason, though I couldn't hear him) fur a lazy good 
fur nothin' set of vagabones — but yit the log never budged 
an inch. By this time I'd got considerable interested in the 
job myself, and seein' how easy it would be fur me, ef I had 
been there, to have histed the log into the water, I sung out 
as loud as I could afore I knowed what I was doin', ^Git a 



The Young Explorers. 147 

prize under the butt eend, ole hoss, and she'll come certin.' 
But the minit I said that, bang! went the ole boss' tail on 
the yearth, and quick as a wink every beaver let go all holts 
and tumbled into the water, and in a minit everything was as 
quiet roun' the dam, as if there wan't a beaver in five miles 
of it. The last thing I seed of 'em was the ole boss jess 
flappin under the water, arter the rest of 'em had all scooted. 
It was so funny the way the varmints acted, I laughed till I 
shuck the dirt from the sides ot the pit. Then I crawled out 
and put off fur camp, and that was the fust and last time I ever 
seed the beavers at their work." *'Why, you must have sur- 
prised them when you sung out," said Mr. Pitt, "as much as 
Tam O'Shanter did the witches, when he roared out, *weel 
done cutty sark !' " "May be so," said Uncle Seth, "though 
I never hearn tell of Mr. Shanter, and I've knowed, one time 
or another, purty much all the ole settlers in this country— 
but come boys," he said, *4ts time we were moving and we'd 
better saddle up our nags." 

As soon as we were ready to start, a "council of war" was 
held as to whether we should continue our route to the upper 
pass, or return to our camp at the lower end of the canyon. 
Uncle Seth, who had several years previously, been to the 
head of the canyon, said we would find it very similar to the 
part we had seen. We therefore finally concluded to go back, 
as we were anxious to get into a region that had not been 
explored by white men. Cudjo especially was strongly in 
favor of turning back, and the "flesh pots of Egypt" were 
evidently "reamingin his head." **We got good camp groun' 
dar," said Cudjo, *'plenty fat turkey en arterchokes, an den 
dars dat bufferlo cow. Mass Pitt kill dat we've got to 'tend to." 
"The cayotes have 'tended to that long ago," said Uncle Seth, 
''but anyhow, I reckon, it will be best to go back," and so 
saying he turned his horse's head towards the lower end of the 



148 The Yoimg Explorers. 

valley and set off at a brisk trot, the rest of us following as 
usual in single file. 

When we came in sight of the place where we had left the 
buffalo, we saw a large gang of wolves collected around the 
carcass, and many cayotes outside waiting for a chance to 
pitch in — which they didn't get. The wolves were so intent 
on helping themselves, they did not observe our approach un- 
til we were within a hundred yards of them, when Willie put 
spurs to his pony and charged among them, compelling them 
to beat a hasty retreat. But the greedy rascals, as Uncle Seth 
said, had already "'tended" to it, scarcely a pound of flesh 
being left on the bones. However, the meat Uncle Seth had 
hung up in a tree, was all safe, and taking it down we divided 
it amongst us, and started again for camp. 

Nothing of particular interest occurred on the way, and 
about an hour before sunset we passed the "Sugar Loaf" hill 
on the top of which Willie's red flannel shirt was still flaunt- 
ing bravely in the breeze, and a few minutes afterwards we 
trotted into our camp where we found all our goods and chat- 
tels just as we had left them. 

In a little while after we had staked out.'our horses, and 
made everything snug for the night, Cudjo gave us the pleasing 
intelligence that supper was ready, and nothing loth we all 
gathered around a huge platter filled with delicious buffalo 
steaks, flanked on one side by the inevitable coffee pot, and 
on the other by smoking plates (tin) of hot "dunderfunk." 
*^Too much praise," as we used to say in war times, could not 
be given to the vigorous manner in which we assaulted the 
steaks, and in fact the "pile" diminished so rapidly, that 
Cudjo became apprehensive nothing but the platter would be 
left for his share. "Fore gracious ! Mass Willie," said he to 
that young gentleman who had "backed his cart" for another 
load of steak, "we gwying to hab brekfust in de mornin', and I 
tink you better knock off, ef you don't want ter founder 



The Young Explorers. 149 

youself." "Oh, I don't care if I do founder," said Willie, 
I've got a receipt to cure founder that never fails — have tried 
it on a dozen horses." 

All hands, however, were at length satisfied, and still there 
was more left than Cudjo could dispose of, although he took 
hisUime as usual and laid siege to it regularly. "How do 
you like buffalo steak, said Henry to him?" "Dey's splendid," 
said Cudjo, grinning with satisfaction, and showing a set of 
white teeth, that glistened in the fire light, in strong contrast 
with his greasy black skin, "Mass Seth say fur true, dey's 
better n bear meat." "Yes," said Uncle Seth, *'bar meat's 
powerful good, but a fat bufferlo cow's the best of all, onless 
it's a fat pole-cat." "What ? You don't mean a skunk ?" 
said Cudjo, "I never hearn tell of anybody eatin' one of dem 
varmints." "Yes, I mean a skunk," replied Uncle Seth, "the 
Injins like 'em better than anything else, and I tell you, they 
is mity choice in their grub when they've plenty of it. But 
there's one thing you must remember, and that is, to butcher 
'em and cut out the musk bag, jess as soon as you kill 'em. 
Ef you do that, you'll find that they that they are bet- 
ter'n they smell." "Yes," said Mr. Pitt, with a strong ex- 
pression of disgust, "they might do that and still taste worse 
than a dose of salts and senna." 

After supper, we stretched ourselves upon our blankets 
around the fire, and Willie suggested that Uncle Seth should 
be called upon for a yarn. But Uncle Seth, just at that mo- 
ment, was busy at work trying to clean out the stem of his 
pipe, which Willie had mischievously plugged up with a piece 
of wood. "Well, I declar'," said he, sucking vigorously at 
at the stem, "ef this don't beat all natur — can't git a bit of 
smoke through the dratted thing, and I never could talk on- 
less my pipe was goin'." "Oh, if that's all," said Willie, 
<^hand it over to me and I'll soon fix it for you." Uncle Seth 
handed Willie the pipe, who dexterously extracted the plug 



150 The Young Explorers 

at once with his pen-knife. "It works all right now," said 
Uncle Seth, as the smoke rolled out from his mouth, "and I 
kin talk as fast now as a woman at a quiltin'. The fact is, 
boys," added Uncle Seth in a moralizing sort of way, "ter- 
backy is a quare kind of thing anyhow. When a feller gits 
used to it, he can't git along without it at all, and yit when he 
has it, it don't seem to satisfy him much. Once when I was 
out with some Rangers on a scout arter Injins, every bit of 
terbacky we had was used up, and every feller in the crowd 
ither chawed or smoked when he could git it — and the only 
chance to git more, was at a little grocery about two hundred 
miles from where we was. Sich a sore-headed, cross-grained 
set of fellers you never seed. You couldn't say a word to one 
of 'em, no matter how perlite, but what he'd snap you up as 
short as pie crust. I don't berlieve there ever was a set of 
fellers in better fightin' trim, and I tell you what's a fact, ef 
I wanted to make a desp'ut fite, I'd pick out a crowd of ole 
terbaccy chawers and keep 'em 'bout a week without a taste. 
Then I'd turn 'em loose on the enemy, and it wouldn't be long 
afore the green was kivered with bits of skull and tufts of 
har." 

"But how about that yarn," interrupted Willie, who took 
but little interest in the discussion of the tobacco question, 
"how about that yarn. Uncle Seth?'' Uncle Seth pulled a 
stalk of grass and mechanically ran it through his pipe stem, 
which had got partially choked again, and then replied, 
"Well, what shall it be — let's see — Oh! did I ever tell you 
'bout the race I had with Bill Shanks, when he beat me *far 
and squar,' though I was ridin' a reglar race nag, and he was 
on a little Spanish muel?" "No, you never told us about it," 
said Willie, — but you don't mean to say. Uncle Seth, that a 
mule beat a race horse fair running?" "That's adzactly 
what I said," replied Uncle Seth, "fur there wan't no jock- 
eyin' in that race, I kin tell you. You see me and Bill 



The Young Explorers. 15 1 

Shanks, one of my ole compadres, 'bout the time the govern- 
ment was moved to Austin, went up there to take a look at 
the city, and the country round about. Well, it didn't take 
us long to see all there was to see in Austin, and we con- 
cluded to have a buflferlo hunt, jess to pass away the time. 
So we greased up our shootin' irons, and put out fur Brushy 
creek. Bill on his little Spanish muel and me on my race 
nag. I told Bill he was venterin' a good deal to trust him- 
self in an Injin country on sich an animule as that, but he 
said there was a heap of 'come out' in the critter, and that 
he would take the chances on him. 'AH right. Bill,' says I, 
^ef you ain't afeard to trust yourself on him it's your funeral, 
and you have the right to choose your own gait; but I kin 
tell you one thing,'" says I, 'ef the Injins should get arter us, 
you needn't expect me to wait fur you.' 'Nuf ced,' says Bill, 
*you jess take care of your own har, and I'll see arter mine.' 
Well, we crossed the perara betwixt Austin and Walnut creek 
without seein' a bufferlo, though their sign was plenty. We 
then struck out across the perara betwixt Walnut and Brushy, 
and arter we had gone prehaps 'bout five miles, and jess as 
we was turning short roun' a pint of timber, we come upon 
twenty Comanches, mounted on their ponies. The minit 
they seed me and Bill, they gin a yell, and come fur us like 
a perara on fire in a high wind. 'Bill,' says I, 'there ain't but 
one chance fur you — drap your gun and jump up behind me 
on my nag, may be so he can carry us both, and beat their 
ponies.' 'No,' says Bill, 'he can't do it with me and you 
both on him. I shall trust to the little muel.' 'Don't be a 
fool,' says I, 'Bill, but jump up behind me at once, afore it's 
too late. 'No,* says he, 'I won't do it — I told you I would 
trust to the muel^ and I'm goin' to do it.' By this time the 
Injins was in two hundred yards of us, and seein' there wan't 
no use in tryin' to git Bill to jump behind me, fur I knowed 
he was as obsternate as a muel himself when he tuck a notion 



i 



152 The Young Explorers. 

in his head, I driv the spurs into my nag and left poor Bill 
sittin' stock still on his little muel, that jess then 'tuck the 
studs/ and wouldn't budge an inch one way or the other. I 
hated mitily to leave Bill in this way, you may depend, fur 
we had hunted and trapped fur months together, and slept 
side by side many a night on the same blanket, but, what 
could I do? It was foolishness I knowed, to stay there and 
be killed, fur there was no show fur us to fight off twenty 
Comanches in the open perara, and my gittin' killed wouldn't 
have saved Bill. So I let out Roarer, as I called my nag, 
and never looked behind me fur I didn't want to see the 
Injins killin' Bill. In a few minits I hearn a terrible yellin' 
and shootin' of guns, and I said to myself, 'poor Bill, he's 
catchin' it now on that little blasted muel of his'n, and his 
sculp will soon be swingin' from some Comanche's belt,' but 
still I never looked back fur I didn't want to see what was 
goin' on, but I pushed ahead as fast as Roarer could link it 
down. I had run I 'spose 'bout three miles, when I hearn a 
horse's hoofs comin' pitity pat, pitity pat, clost behind me. 
I thought in course it was one of the Injins mounted on a 
better horse than common, who was overhaulin' me, and 
lookin' roun' at him, I cocked my gun, thinkin' that as soon 
as he got nigh enuff, I'd wheel my horse of a suddent and let 
him have it. Purty soon I knowed by the sound of the 
horse's hoofs that the feller was gittin' clost enuff to be 
slingin' his arrers at me, and I wheeled my nag as quick as 
wink, and come mity nigh pullin' the trigger on Bill, fur in- 
stead of bein' killed and sculped as I thought, it was him 
holdin' fast to the little muel's mane, that was picking up his 
feet like a scared jackass rabbit, and he passed me jess as if 
I'd been standin' still — which I wan't. As he went by. Bill 
sung out to me, 'If I git there afore you do, I'll let 'em know 
you're comin' too, and tell 'em at Robinson's grocery to 
have a snifter reddy fur you,' and in five minits he was out'n 



The Young Explorers, 153 

sight in the timber on Walnut, and I never seed anything 
more of him tell I got to Austin. Bill told me when I left 
him on the perara he had gin himself up fur a goner, case 
his little muel had tuck the studs and wouldn't budge though 
he kep rammin' the spurs into him rowel deep, and though 
he knowed there was a power of 'come out' in him ef he 
could once git him started, he couldn't git it out'n him jess 
then, with whip nor spurs. But all at once, Bill said, the 
Injins seein' what a fix he was in and thinkin' they had him 
shore, gin a tremenjious yell and shot three or four guns at 
him, and then fur the fust time the little muel 'peared to 
onderstan* what was up. He fotch one jump that come mity 
nigh histin' Bill out'n the saddle, and then all he had to do 
was to hold on to his mane and let him rip. He left the In- 
jins so fur behind him in a little while, that Bill said when 
he last seed 'em they had stopped still on the perara, and 
were lookin' in wonderment at the way the little muel made 
the dirt fly. 'I tell you,' said Bill, 'there's a heap of come out 
in a Spanish muel, ef a feller only knows how to git it out'n 
him' — which are a fact, but that's the trouble, as Bill found 
out not long afterwards, fur the Injins got him at last while 
he was huntin' bufferlo on the Gabriel. That little muel of 
his'n got back to cam.p with an arrer sticking through his 
ear, but Bill wan't on him, and the next day we found the 
poor feller lyin' dead oh the perara, with about a dozen 'dog- 
wood switches' stickin' in his body. The come out in the 
little muel come out time enuff to save himself but a little 
too late fur Bill. We buried him right where he lay," said 
Uncle Seth as unconsciously he knocked the ashes out of his 
pipe on Cudjo's big toe, that was sticking up in reach of 
him, "and I reckon he's jest as comfortable there as ef he 
was in a graveyard with palins roun' it, and with a big marble 
tomb stun stickin up at his head." 

Cudjo had listened attentively for some time to Uncle Seth's 



154 , The Young Explorers. 

yarn, but before he had ended, sleep overcame him, and he 
was soon engaged as usual in his nocturnal occupation of 
''sawing gourds." On this occasion, however, for a wonder, 
he had lain down with his feet to the fire instead of his head, 
and their white bottoms glistened conspicuously in the light. 
The sight of them suggested an idea -to Willie, who got up 
the moment Uncle Seth had finished his yarn, and mixing a 
fuse of wet powder, he stuck it to the sole of one of Cudjo's 
feet and touched a live coal to it. The fuse burnt down to 
the skin and went out, but Cudjo still continued to saw 
gourds, apparently in no wise incommoded by the burning of 
the fuse, for the bottom of his foot was exceedingly thick and 
it took the heat some time to penetrate to the quick — but it did 
so at last with a vengeance, and Cudjo bounced up like an 
India rubber ball, and went hopping round on one leg, much 
to Willie's amusement. ''Why Cudjo, what's the matter with 
you," said Willie, "are you dreaming that the javalinas are af- 
ter you again?" "No," replied Cudjo, "a dratted chunk roll 
off 'n de fire, plum agin dis nigger's foot." The smell of 
burnt powder was very strong and I think Cudjo had his sus- 
picions of foul play, but he *'quiled" himself up in his blanket 
again, and in a few moments was oblivious of the woes and 
pains of this sublunary sphere. 



CHAPTEE XII. 

Leave canyon de Uvalde — Reach the Rio Frio — Abund- 
ance OF game — Meet with a party of Choctaw Indians. 
Make a social call upon the Choctaws — Take dinner 
with them — They help Cudjo too liberally to '^tid 
bids" and he makes his exit suddenly and unexpected- 
ly — Mr. Dobell's yarn. 

After an early breakfast the next morning, we mounted our 
horses and left the canyon by the pass through which we had 
entered it. When we reached the summit of the pass, we 
turned to take a last look at the beautiful valley below. "'Tis 
distance lends enchantment to the view/' said Mr. Pitt, who 
was "a leetle fond" as Uncle Seth observed, of showing off 
his "book larninV but the Canyon de Uvalde loses none 
of its charms even on a close inspection, and some day it 
will be a great resort for the lovers of picturesque and ro- 
mantic scenery. "I could live there contentedly," continued 
Mr. Pitt, waving his hand theatrically towards the valley be- 
low, ''until my hair turned gray, provided, I had one congeni- 
al soul I wot to of keep me company." ''YouM better say, tell 
yer har was histed," said Uncle Seth, '^fur it would be, shore 
long afore it turned gray, ef you hadn't more than one of 
them 'congenials' to back you. 'Tain't a safe place I kin tell 
you fur any crowd that's smaller than ourn." 

The last thing I saw as we turned the ^'divide," was Willie's 
red flannel shirt looking like a speck in the distance, still 
fluttering in the breeze from the apex of Sugar Loaf hill. 
Descending to the table land which ^^ in at the foot of the 
pass, and extended westward as far as the eye could reach^ 
we t(2)ok our course along the base of the hills, through what 



156 The Young Explorers. 

was then an unknown region of country. At several points 
our progress was much impeded by dense chapparal and 
deep gulches, but we made our way at length through and 
over all obstacles until we came in sight of the long line of 
timber that indicated the proximity of the Rio Frio, on the 
bank of which we intended to pitch our camp. As we de- 
scended from the mesa into the river valley, which at the 
place we entered it was about a mile wide, we were astonished 
at the great amount of game that was everywhere visible 
within the scope of our vision, although we had found it as 
we thought exceedingly abundant in other localities — great 
herds of deer — here and there a herd of antelopes, numerous 
flocks of turkeys, and at one point several hundred buffalo, 
quietly grazing near the edge of the timber that fringed the 
bank of the Frio. It was just such a scene as I had often 
pictured in imagination when reading Daniel Boone's account 
of the vast quantity of game he found on his first exploration 
of the "dark and bloody ground." Uncle Seth's eyes glis- 
tened as he gazed upon the numerous herds of deer, antelope 
and buffalo grazing upon the luxuriant grass that grew in the 
valley, and Willie and Henry were eager to charge at once 
upon the buffalo. Even Cudjo was somewhat excited, and 
voted for a run at them, although he knew there was but little 
chance of his getting near enough to the buffalo to use his 
blunderbuss, for at the sight of them his half breed horse 
already began to show signs of pitching. But Uncle Seth 
put his veto on such a move peremptorily. "No, boys," said 
he,'* "it is strictly agin orders, to hunt on the march. Arter 
we git into camp, and fix everything snug, and see ef there's 
any fresh Injin sign, you can have a chase arter the bufferlo 
pervidin' there ain't nothin' wrong." 

The deer and other game with which the valley was swarm- 
ing, paid but little attention to us as we trotted along, but the 
buffalo started off at a full run as soon as we had approached 



The Young Explorers. 157 

* 

near enough for them to see distinctly what we were. For a 
moment they huddled up together as if undecided what course 
to take, when one of them led off at a rapid gait up the val- 
ley, the rest followed, and turning a point of timber were 
soon lost to view. Their running seemed to be a warning to 
everything else that danger was near, and soon every herd of 
deer and antelopes in sight were scampering away towards 
the mesa, and in a few moments after the buffalo started, not 
a single wild animal was to be seen in the valley. "When the 
bufferlo run," said Uncle Seth, "everything else takes to their 
heels, for they have found out I suppose, that the Injins are 
not fur off." Going on v/q soon came to the Frio, a clear bold 
little stream running over a rocky bed. At the point where 
we struck it, the banks were so steep we found it impossible 
to get our horses down to water, and we continued on up the 
stream half a mile or so, until we came to a place where the 
buffalo and wild horses had by long use worn a passable road 
down the bank. Here we pitched our camp under a large 
live oak tree that stood near the centre of a small opening, 
that was almost surrounded by a dense growth of chapparal. 
Through this there was but one narrow entrance into the lit- 
tle open space in which the live oak stood, under the thick 
foliage of which we had pitched our tent. Everywhere else 
it was so dense that even a man on foot would have found 
great difficulty in penetrating it. "Now boys," said Uncle 
Seth, after we had staked out our horses, and made all snug 
about camp, "we'll have a safe roostin' place to-night ef we 
never git another. If it wan't a temptin' of Providence to 
say so, I could almost wish the Injins would give us a turn 
here jess to see how Cudjo would hist 'em with that fusee of 
his'n." "I don't want nothin' to do wid dem varmints,*' 
said Cudjo, who evidently sympathized but little with Uncle 
Seth's warlike ardor, "an ef dey'U jess let me alone, dey kin 
eat dere pole-cat and tarrypin an' I shan't trouble 'em sar- 



158 The Yoimg Explorers. 

tain." '*^CudjOj" said Uncle Seth, as we all lay stretched out 
upon our blankets taking our ease in "Sprawls Tavern,'' "step 
out to the edge of the perara and see how our horses are 
comin' on." (We had staked them outside of the little open 
in which we had camped in order to reserve the grass inside 
for the night's grazing.) Cudjo obeyed rather reluctantly, 
for he had just settled himself in a comfortable position for 
a cat nap before commencing his culinary operations, but 
there was no disputing the orders of the commander in chief. 
In a few moments after he went out, we saw him coming back 
at the top of his speed as if the "Mexican hog" were again 
in pursuit of him. He was evidently terribly frightened by 
something, and as he rushed into camp, he struck his foot 
against one of the tent pins and pitched head foremost on 
the ground. "Snakes alive!" exclaimed Uncle Seth, "what's 
the matter now?" "Oh, de Injins comin — de Injins comin, 
an dey'll take all our sculp shore. I wish ter gracious I wus 
back to ole Mass Rivers, an you nebber cotch dis nigger out 
side de fence agin." "How many Injins did you see ?" said 
Uncle Seth. " 'Bout five hundred," replied Cudjo, and dey's 
comin right straight here hard as dey kin." "Run out, boys," 
said Uncle Seth hurriedly, "and fetch in the horses, I ber- 
lieve the feller has seed Injins shore enuff." We all sprang 
to our feet instantly, and ran to the place where we had 
staked our horses. As soon as we got outside of the chappa- 
ral surrounding our camp, we found that Cudjo had indeed 
partially told the truth, for a band of mounted Indians were 
seen about a mile distant, coming directly towards us, but 
instead of five hundred, according to Cudjo's enumeration? 
we could only count twenty. "Take in your horses, boys,'' 
said Uncle Seth, "and I'll tend to mine an^ the pack muel.'' 
Each one sprang to his horse, and in a few moments we had 
them all safe inside our "entrenchments." We then seized 
our guns and hurriedly prepared for the anticipated scrim- 



The Young Explorers. 159 

mage. "Get up, Cudjo," said Willie to that son of Mars, 
who was lying on the ground, "quiled up'' head and all 
in his blanket, "get up and take your gun, we are going to 
have a fight right off." "Dat ole gun all out'n fix," said Cud- 
jo, "day tech hole done stop up, and de frizzen all wored out* 
I tink. Mass Willie, we better gin up, an may be so de Injins 
won't takenothin' but de horses and our pervisions." "They'll 
take your wooiy scalp," said Willie, "if you don't get up and 
fight, that's certain." Plainly, Cudjo had no stomach for 
that kind of business, but seeing there was no help for it, he 
took up his blunderbuss, and followed the rest of the party 
to the entrance, where we all halted, and anxiously watched 
the movements of the Indians. "There's twenty of 'em ad- 
zactly," said Uncle Seth, "and we can whip forty of 'em 
easy from this thicket. Cudjo is good for ten of them, I 
know." "Dat I am/' said Cudjo trembling so he couldn't 
get his ramrod into the muzzle of his gun, as he attempted to 
push down wads upon a handful of extra shot. "I'll get 
some on 'em shure, ef dey comes clost enuff, but I tink Mass 
Seth, dey's too many ob 'em, an' we better make treaty wid 
'em." If Uncle Seth heard this pacific advice, he certainly 
did not pay the least attention to it. By this time the In- 
dians had approached to within three or four hundred yards, 
when they came to a halt and appeared to be engaged in 
earnest consultation. "I don't adzactly know what tribe of 
Injins they belong to," said Uncle Seth, scanning them closely 
with his hand over his eyes — they ain't Comanches, and I'm 
purty shore they ain't Tonkeways or Lipans." Presently one 
of the Indians rode out towards us, waving a white rag tied 
to the end of a ramrod." "They want to have a talk," said 
Uncle Seth, "and I'll go meet that feller and hear what he's 
got to say. Keep cool, boys," he added, "and watch their 
motions clost, and I'll soon find out what they's arter," and 
saying this he walked out eighty or a hundred yards into the 



160 The Young Explorers. 

prairie, and waited for the Indian to come within speaking 
distance. Without halting, the Indian rode up to where Un- 
cle Seth was standing, leaning on his gun, and we saw them 
shake hands. ''They are friendly Indians," said Mr. Pitt, 
*'and we won't have a fight this time, after all." ^'Mity well 
fur dem dat dey is friendly," said Cudjo, whose courage had 
risen astonishingly when he saw there was no prospect for a 
fight, "for I got forty buckshot in bof barrel ob dis gun, an' 
she gwine ter hurt somebody when she go off." "May be so," 
said Henry, "but I'm very much afraid, if we do get into a 
fight that she'll 'gooff' and Cudjo with her." "Doan you 
fret yourself 'bout dat,'* said Cudjo, "you tink cause I trim- 
ble a little, dat I'se scared, but I always does dat when I get 
mad." "Well, you musn't get so mad the next time," said 
Henry, "that you can't get the ramrod in the muzzle of your 
gun." 

In a little while, Uncle Seth and the Indian came to where 
we all were standing. "This," said he, "bpys," by way of 
an introduction, "is a Choctaw chief, an old friend of mine; 
'Big.Drunk' they calls him in his tribe, for he will get on a 
powerful spree once in a while, when he's in the settlements, 
but he's a fust rate feller arter all. I've hunted with him 
many a dayj and he's one of the sort that will do to 'tie to,' 
ef he is a Injin.^' We all shook hands with Big Drunk in 
acknowledgment ot this introduction. He was a fine looking 
fellow, and his horse, from which he had dismounted, was 
one of the best specimens of the mustang I had ever seen. 
*'Belly glad see you all my flens," said Big Drunk, in his bro- 
ken English, "me tink fust wen me see you horse stake out 
you Comanche — no like 'em Comanche, and we want fur fite 
'em — Comanche no good." "Which way are you travelin' 
now?" said Uncle Seth to him, after he had gone the rounds 
and shaken hands for the second time, with every one, not 
excepting Cudjo, who however eyed him very suspiciously, 



The Young Explorers, 161 

as if he wasn't quite sure that his professions of friendship 
were not all put on for the purpose of throwing us off our 
guard. "Oh, me go San Saba to catch 'em beaver," replied 
Big Drunk, ''plenty beaver San Saba." '"That's the very 
place, boys," said Uncle Seth to us, ''we're bound fur, and I 
think it will be a good plan for us to travel 'long with the 
Choctaws tell we get there." Then turning to Big Drunk he 
said: "We're going to the San Saba too, and as there ain't 
but a small crowd of us, we'd like to travel with you, may be 
so plenty Comanches on the road." "Oh yes," said Big 
Drunk,''Comanche heap too much, Comanche belly bad Injin, 
but Choctaw whip 'em,— got two Comanche scalp," point- 
ing to a couple of pieces of dried skin, fastened to his belt, 
with a long tuft of hair hanging from each, "may be so, pur- 
ty soon git 'em some more." Big Drunk then told Uricle 
Seth, that they would be glad to keep company with us, but 
that our horses were in fine condition while theirs were much 
jaded and consequently they were compelled to travel very 
slowly. Uncle Seth told him that that suited us exactly, as 
we were merely looking at the country, and the slower we 
traveled the better chance we would have to see it. It was 
therefore agreed between them, that the Choctaws should 
pitch their camp a short distance from ours, and that we 
would remain where we were for a day, in order to give the 
riding and pack animals belonging to the Choctaws a chance 
to graze and rest. When this arrangement had been defi- 
nitely agreed upon between the "high contracting parties." 
Big Drunk returned to his men, and in a little while they all 
rode up, and pitched their camp under some trees just out- 
side the entrance to the open spot we occupied. They were 
a fine bold looking set of fellows, armed with rifles and pis- 
tols and judging from the number of pack animals that were 
loaded with their "plunder" were well provided with all the 
necessary equipments and provisions for a long sojourn at 

90 



162 The Young Explorers. 

their trapping grounds. "Now," said Uncle Seth to us, *'I 
don't care a snap of my finger fur all the Injins in the Co- 
manche nation. I know these Choctaw fellers well, and J:har 
ain't a better fightin' people on the face of the yearth, and 
then they's always been friendly to the white folks. I did 
feel a little oneasy tell we met up with them, it's a fact, fur 
we was ruther short handed to hold our own agin a big cYowd 
even though we had Cudjo along with us." 

As soon as we thought the Choctaws had fixed their camps, 
we concluded to make them a '^social call" for the purpose 
of getting better acquainted with them, as they were to be 
our companions and allies until we reached their trapping 
grounds on the San Saba. Before we came they had already 
stretched their blanket tents, and built their fires. They re- 
ceived us very cordially, and Big Drunk, as master of cere- 
monies, did the honors, by presenting us formally to all his 
warriors. The Choctaws had killed a fat buffalo that day on 
the road, the choice pieces of which they had roasting before 
their fires, and they looked and smell so appetizing we were 
easily prevailed upon to accept Big Drunk's invitation to 
"stay and take a bite with them." All of the Choctaws 
spoke English after a fashion, and while supper was being 
cooked, we all "fraternised" with them upon the most free 
and easy terms. The one I addressed myself to particularly 
seemed to be of a very communicative disposition, and volun- 
tarily gave me a good deal of information about his domestic 
affairs, etc. He told me he had "tree wife, and plenty fat 
hog," that he "no like Comanche — belly bad Injin; kill him 
fader; that the Choctaw belly good flens white people— no 
fite 'em; that he had good medicine for snake bite and gib 
me litle piece when I want 'em." I thanked him for his kind 
offer, and told him I would call on him for the medicine 
when I got snake bit, but hoped there would be no necessity 
for doing so. "Maybe so no," he said, "but plenty rattle 



The Young Explorers. 163 

snake San Saba. Wot you call 'em, you name?'^ said he. 
''My name is Jack Dobell," said I. "Me name/' said he, 
striking his breast, ''is Tustenugge Hadjo, big Injin; kill Co- 
manche heap; bimeby you come Choctaw nation, git plenty 
fat hog, two, tree wife and good name, no like 'em Yack Do- 
bell," I thanked my new friend for his hospitable invitation, 
and told him, I would be glad to have a good name like Tus- 
tenugge Hadjo, and plenty of fat hog, but that I couldn't take 
two or three wives, as the white people were not allowed to 
have more than one at a time. "White people know heap 
ting," said he, "but big fool bout 'em wife. One wife no 
good, tree wife belly good, bring 'em water, make 'em mocca- 
sin, hoe 'em corn and cook 'em dinner." 

Just then dinner or supper, whichever ^they called it, was 
ready and we were all asked to take our seats on the grass, 
around half a dozen spits stuck in the ground, on which the 
choice pieces of the buffalo had been roasted, and a large 
camp kettle, filled with "succotash" (a medley of stewed 
meat, beans, hominy and peppers). The dinner was cooked 
in very primitive style, but it was really excellent, and we 
gave no offence to our entertainers by declining to accept 
the choice bits that were pressed upon us, for according to 
Indian etiquette, it is considered the height of bad manners 
to refuse to eat as long as your host sees proper to force his 
good cheer upon you. Cudjo, it seems, had wormed himself 
somehow astonishingly into the good graces of the Choctaws, 
and they were particularly attentive to him. The consequence 
was that a great many tid-bits were pressed uponTiim during 
the repast. He tackled them manfully and worried them 
down, one after another, until there was no room left for 
anything else. "Mass Jack," said he to me in a whisper, as 
he ruefully eyed about a pound of greasy hump, which one of 
the Choctaws had just then handed him on the point of his 
butcher knife, "Mass Jack, what I gwying to do wid all dis 



164 The Young Explorers. 

bufferlo hump?" ''You must eat it," I whispered, ''every bit 
of it, for don't you see that fellow who gave it to you watch- 
ing you like a hawk, and if you leave a piece of it, as big as 
your thumb nail, he'll be as mad as a hornet, and there's no 
telling what he may do; these Indians are mighty uncertain," 
"I know dey is," said Cudjo, "but I don't see any sense in 
dere gettin' mad just becase a feller can't eat as much as a 
elerphant." Just then, however, the Choctaw, who had given 
Cudjo the piece of hump, accidentally looked towards him^ 
and he hastily began to worry it down, though evidently sore- 
ly against his inclination. At length, with great difficulty, 
he succeeded in disposing of the last morsel, but scarcely 
had he done so, when another grim warrior handed him a 
roasted rib about three feet long. "Oh! de Lord ob mercy. 
Mass Jack," said he, what I gwying to do wid all dis rib. I 
can't eat it, ef I hab to die de nex' minit fur it." "But you 
must," said I, in a whisper, *'you might have got off alive if 
you hadn't eat the hump, but to refuse to eat fat buffalo rib 
when a Choctaw presents it to you, is the worst insult you 
could offer him, and your scalp would be [gone before you 
could say Jack Robinson. You must eat it, if it kills you, 
for it is better to die eating buffalo rib, than to have your 
throat cut with the butcher knife that fellow's got in his hand." 
Thus urged, Cudjo made a faint effort at tackling the rib, but 
it was no use, nature could endure no more. He gazed with 
an expression of mingled satiety and disgust, first, at the rib 
and then at the grim warrior who had given it^to him, as if 
debating in his mind which of the two evils to choose. He 
evidently thought the situation was a desperate one, but his 
inventive genius was equal to the emergency. Jumping up 
suddenly, he exclaimed: "Fore gracious, I believe de fire 
done cotch our tent. I see mighty big smoke ober dar," and 
saying this he went off at the top of his speed for camp. We 
sprang to our feet at once, thinking our tent had really caught 



The Young Explorers. 165 

on fire, but seeing no smoke nor flames in that direction we 
all took our seats again wondering (everybody except myself) 
at Cudjo's inexplicable conduct, and shortly afterwards we 
bade adieu to our Choctaw friends and returned to camp. We 
found Cudjo comfortably "quiled up" in his blanket at the 
foot of the live oak under which we had stretched our tent. 
"Why Cudjo," said Willie, "what in the world could have put 
it into your wooly head that our tent was on fire? we didn't 
see any smoke nor any other sign of a fire over this way.' 
"Nur me nuther," said Cudjo, "but de fac' is, Mass Willie 
I was 'bliged to git out'n dat scrape somehow. Mass D obeli 
tell me, if I didn't eat dat bufferlo rib de Injin gib me, he 
tuk my sculp sartin, an' I hadn't no whar to put 'em, for I 
was jess chock full up to de neck, an' den I make b'lieve de 
tent cotch fire, jess for 'scuse to git erway/rom dem Injin, an' 
I tell you what's de trufe, Mass Willie," continued Cudjo, "I 
ain't gwying ter eat wid dem agin. Dey ain't got no sense to 
want to kill a pusson, jess case he can't eat a whole bufferlo 
fur he dinner— dat's all foolishness." A sudden light broke 
upon all at this, and a general laugh went the rounds at Cud- 
jo's expense. "Never mind, Cudjo," said Lawrence, "we'll 
ask these Choctaws to take dinner with us before long and 
then you can have your revenge by stuffing them until they 
holler ' 'nuff.' " "I'll do dat" said Cudjo, *'but you better 
not ax 'em to dinner till you git two or tree fat buff"erlo in 
camp, or may be so dere stomack will hold out longer'n our 

pervisions." 

As the encampment of the Choctaws was close to the open- 
ing into our little prairie, Uncle Seth concluded we might 
trust to their watchfulness and the security of our position, 
and dispense with the usual guard for the night. "A good 
night's sleep on a scout,'' said Uncle Seth, "is wuth a leetle 
risk, pervidin' the Injin sign ain't too fresh and plentiful, but 
anyhow, I think we kin trust the Choctaws to keep a look-out 



166 The Yo2ing Explorers. 

for us this time." "It's three long hours yet till bed time," 
said Willie, "and I vote that Mr. Dobell spin us a yarn. He 
hasn't done his share lately for the entertainment of this 
select company." ''AH right, Willie," said I, "I am always 
willing to contribute my mite to anything on the tapis, 'per- 
vidin' I can do so. But I have already told you about all 
my 'scapes and scrapes in Texas, and I shall have to go else- 
where for something new." "Well, let's have it, anyhow,'' 
said Willie, ''we want a 'change of venue' by way of variety." 
"Then," said I, assuming a contemplative expression, and 
throwing myself into a theatrical pose, as well as I could up- 
on the "chunk" that served me for a seat, "I believe, I will 
tell you of an incident that happened in Florida, just after I 
returned there from Texas." "I'll bet a roasted buffalo rib," 
said Willie, winking at ('udjo, "that there's a woman mixed 
up in it somehow." "No," said I, "you have missed the 
mark widely this time, for there is not the remotest allusion 
made to the 'sex' throughout the whole yarn, — the more's the 
pity, for you remember of course what the poet says: 

"The world was sad, the garden was a wild, 
And man, the hermit sighed, till woman smiled." 

"Oh, yes," said Willie, "I remember something like it, but 
you have got the quotation all wrong — it should be 

"The world was glad, the 'truck patch' fair and wide 
And man, the hermit, smiled till woman sighed,' 



jj 



"Boys," said Uncle Seth, what's all that palaver 'bout gar- 
dens and sich got to do with Mr. Dobell's yarn ? Ef Mr. 
Dobell knows of anybody bein' skulped by Injins or squeezed 
to death by a bar, or chawed up by javalinas, I hope he will 
tell it, and not go beatin' round the bush in sich a way." "i 
sit corrected," said I, resuming with some difficulty, my 
theatrical attitude on the "chunk" which was a very hard and 



The YoungExplorers. 167 

knotty one, "and will tell my story without any further 'pa- 
laver.'" 

"One day, not long after my return to Florida from Texas, 
I was sitting in my room, debating with myself, as to the best 
mode of killing some leisure time I had on my hands, when 

the post man came in with a letter for me. It was from B , 

an old friend of mine, who had lately made a local habitation 
if not a name^ at the frontier settlement of Manatee, inviting 
me to come down and stay a few weeks with him. In his let- 
ter, as an inducement for me to come, he expatiated largely 
on the abundance of game in his vicinity, bear, deer, tur- 
keys, etc., to say nothing of alligators, manatees, (sea cows), 
etc. I considered this invitation as a most opportune event, 
and decided at once to accept it. The next morning I packed 
ray dunnage, (consisting principally of hunting equipments, 
a couple of shirts, a pair of socks and five or six pounds of 
tobacco), in a large respectable looking trunk, and took the 
hack for St. Marks. There I was fortunate enough to find a 
schooner about to sail for "Tampa's snow white strand," and 
secured a berth on board of her. On my arrival at Tampa, 
I learned there was no communication between that place 
and Manatee, except by an occasional sail boat, and that 
probably I would have to wait several days for one. I there- 
fore took up my quarters at the Metropolitan Hotel, an un- 
finished pine board shanty, fifteen feet long by twelve wide, 
in one corner of which I got a bunk fenced off from the rest 
of the room by a well worn saddle blanket. The Metropoli- 
tan could boast of a very respectable 'cuisine' as to fish and 
oysters, but only so so as to most other things and was a dead 
failure in biscuits and coffee. The cook, at my urgent request, 
furnished me before leaving with his receipt for making bis- 
cuits, and as I have never seen it in any of the standard 
'Cookery books,' I will give it here for the benefit of gour- 
mands generally. It is very simple. 'Rec, Take one pound 



168 The Young Explorers. 

of flour (if musty, the better), one pound (a pint) of water, 
and one pound of salaratus. Mix to the consistency of putty 
and bake quickly in a very hot oven, so that the outside shall 
be burnt to a coal and the inside raw.' When well made 
according to this receipt, a piece the size of a pound weight 
should weigh a pound exactly. The Rec. for making coffee 
was still more simple and very economical. 'For a dozen 
people say, bring three gallons of water to a gentle simmer, 
and pour into it the grounds of several previous boilings. 
Serve up lukewarm in greasy cups with the addition of "long 
sweetening" at the discretion of the reveller.' 

'*In a couple of days I, had seen everything: in and around 
Tampa worth seeing, except that 'snow white strand,' which 
I could not find, though I searched diligently for it. I sup- 
pose it had been washed away by some unusually high tide. 
Time began to hang heavy on my hands and yet no boat came 
to my relief until late in the evening of my third day's sojourn 
at the 'Metropolitan.' But as I was listlessly returning to 
the hotel from a stroll I had taken along the beach, hoping 
thereby to aid the digestion of a biscuit I had eaten at dinner, 
I descried a boat coming up the bay before a 'spanking' 
breeze. I hurried to the landing and reached there just as 
she was made fast to the wharf. She proved to be one of 
those peculiar crafts called ^smacks,' which ply between the 
ports of Cuba and the Florida coast, and supply the inhabi- 
tants of the 'Ever faithful Isle' with fish and oysters. Going 
on board I inquired of a bronze-colored Dago (as the lower 
order of aquatic Cubans are called) who seemed from the 
way in which he ordered about the others, to be the boss of 
the craft, where the boat was bound. He gave me to under- 
stand in very disjointed English, that he was bound for Ha- 
vana with a cargo of fish, but they would stop at Manatee on 
the way, and that he would sail early the next morning. •! 
engaged passage at once, and the next morning I was on board 



The Young Explorers. 169 

betimes with my trunk, rifle and other ^contraptions.* In a 
little while afterwards we set sail down the bay with a six 
knot breeze following after us. 

"Up to this time, not the slightest idea had entered myjmind 
that I was running any risk in venturing alone on this Dago 
craft, but after we were fairly under way and I had leisure to 
scan closely the villainous countenances of the three Dagos 
composing the crew, I could not help thinking I might have 
found a 'healthier' place if I had searched as diligently for 
it as 1 did for that 'snow white, strand.' But it was too late 
then to regret the step I had taken, and really beyond their 
sinister looks, I had seen nothing to cause me any uneasiness. 

*'About twelve o'clock, the Dago who officiated as steward 
on tlje boat, prepared dinner, which he sat out on a large sea 
chest abaft the main mast, and the one who appeared to have 
command of the other two, and who could speak a little 
broken English, invited me to take 'grub' with them. I took 
a seat by one of the platters on the chest, and whilst we were 
eating I endeavoured to engage the 'Captain' in conversation? 
but he seemed to be surly and unsociable, and after one or 
two fruitless attempts, I gave it)tip as a hopeless job. After 
dinner, I laid down on my cloak in the shade of the main 
sail, and tried to amuse myself watching a school of por- 
poises that were swimming about the boat. I had been list- 
lessly reclining some time in this way, when the two Dagos 
who spoke no English took a seat near me and began to con- 
verse in a low tone in the Spanish language. Fortunately for 
me I had acquired quite a smattering of Spanish when among 
the Mexicans in Texas, and the idea occurred to me that per- 
haps it might be well enough to pay some attention to what 
these preposessing gentlemen were talking about. They spoke 
in such a low tone, however, that I could only catch a sentence 
now and then, but at length I heard one of them distinctly 
say: 'I wonder what this fellow is going to Manatee for?' 



170 The Young Explorers. 

'Jose,' replied the other, (meaning the captain, I supposed), 
^thinks he's got plenty of money, and that he is going to 
Manatee to buy land' (the land office for that section had just 
been opened). Then the one who had first spoken, said to 
the other: 'Don't speak so loud, he might hear us.' 'Well, 
if he does,' said the other, 'he won't know what we are talk- 
ing about; none of the Americans here speak Spanish.' 
Thinks I, old fellow, you are slightly mistaken. I understand 
it well enough to know that you intend me some foul play. 
'Well,' said one, 'I want my share of his money and to- 
night' — but just then the captain came by and they ceased 
talking. I had heard enough, however, to arouse my sus- 
picions fully. I was satisfied these Dagos had planned some 
foul play towards me, and as one can readily imagine m^ re- 
flections on the subject were anything but pleasant. I soon, 
however, came to the conclusion that there was but'one course 
for me to pursue, and that was, whilst watching all their move- 
ments closely, not to let the Dagos perceive I had the slight- 
est suspicion of their intentions. 

"Just about sunset, we arrived opposite the mouth of the 
Manatee river, when, to my astonishment, instead of running 
into it, the Dagos lowered all sails, and let go the anchor half 
a mile or more outside in the open bay. This singular pro- 
ceeding fully confirmed me in my suspicions that some ras- 
cally scheme had been planned to make way with me, as 
there was no reason why they should anchor for the night in 
the open bay, when the wind was perfectly fair to run into a 
secure harbor not a mile distant. I stepped up to the cap- 
tain and asked him why he had anchored in the bay in place 
of running into the mouth of the Manatee. He turned away 
very abruptly from me, merely saying he was the captain of 
that boat, and that he would anchor where it suited him. All 
day there had been some indications that one of those terri- 
ble gales was brewing that sometimes devastate the coast of 



The Young Explorers, 171 

Florida, and by this time 'a chiel might understan,' The 
De'il had business on his han'.' Heavy clouds were banking 
up around the horizon, the scud was flying rapidly overhead, 
although as yet but *a moderate breeze was blowing below, 
and the sea fowls were screaming ominously as they winged 
their way towards the land. I again spoke to the captain, 
telling him we were certainly going to have a gale, and that 
it would be best to hoist sail and run into the mouth of the 
Manatee where we would have smooth water and a perfectly 
secure harbor. But he replied again, that he was captain of 
that boat, and *that it was none of my business.' 

"In a little while after we had anchored, supper was pre- 
pared and served on deck, and as soon as it was over the 
three Dagos went below. I was perfectly sure now, that the 
villains had concocted a scheme to murder me whilst I was 
asleep, but how to foil them was the question. I knew that I 
would have no chance to defend myself, with the odds so 
much against me, for either of the Dagos was my superior in 
physical strength. A dozen schemes for extricating myself 
from the scrape I was in flashed through my mind, in rapid 
succession, but none of them appeared feasible. However, 
I knew it was necessary that some plan of action should be 
determined upon and without delay, for I felt sure if I re- 
mained much longer on deck, the Dagos would suppose I had 
some suspicions of their designs, which would probably cause 
them to hurry up matters for my 'quietus.' I remembered, 
when I left the hotel at Tampa, I had put a brace of well 
loaded derringer pistols on top of everything else in my 
trunk, and I resolved, if possible, to get them, andjthen make 
my way as rapidly as I could to the deck again. This, I 
knew, would be a very 'risky' matter, for my trunk was in the 
cabin and locked, and I thought it more than probable if I 
attempted to unlock it, the Dagos would suspect I was after 
weapons of some kind, and spring upon me before I could get 



172 The Young Explorers 

them. And yet it was very evident, the only chance for my 
life depended upon securing these pistols, and I determined 
at all hazzards to make the attempt. There were four berths 
in the little cabin, and as I descended the narrow and almost 
perpendicular steps of the companion way, I noticed that the 
Dagos had all turned into their berths, leaving one unoccu- 
pied for my accommodation. I suppose I came down rather 
unexpectedly to them, for when I descended the steps far 
enough to see into the cabin, I observed the Dago lying in 
the berth next to mine, hastily thrust a long Spanish dagger 
or stiletto under his pillow. This was not very encouraging, 
nevertheless I carried out my programme much m_ore delib- 
erately and coolly, than I thought it would be possible for me 
to do under the circumstances. My trunk was in the back 
part of the cabin close to a large sea chest, upon which a 
lamp was burning. On this chest also was an olla or earth- 
ern jar containing water, and one or two tin cups. As soon 
as I reached the cabin floor, I slowly pulled off my coat as 
if preparing to go to bed, and then leisurely walked up to the 
chest, dipped some water from the jar and drank it. I then 
stooped down close to my trunk and pretended I was untying 
my shoes, but all the while with one hand I was trying to put 
the key into the lock. I thought I never would find that key 
hole, though no doubt the time spent in searching for it 
seemed much longer than it really was, from the fact that I 
observed the Dago nearest me was watching my every move- 
ment intently with his coal black, snaky eyes. At last, how- 
ever, I succeeded in unlocking the trunk, and throwing back 
the lid suddenly, I grasped both derringers, sprang (juickly 
to the ladder and up to the deck, taking with me as I went 
an old fashioned cloth cloak which I 'had hung on one of the 
lower rounds. As I went up the ladder I gave a glance back- 
wards and saw the three Dagos spring from their berths, each 
one with a dagger in his hand; but they were a little too late, 



The Young Explorers. 173 

for by the time they reached its foot, I had gained the deck 
and was safe from their clutches. The companion way (which 
was certainly a misnomer for it) was so narrow that only one 
person could possibly ascend it at a time, and I was confident 
I could kill two of the Dagos if they should attempt to follow 
me, with my pistols, and that probably, if the other should 
not be discouraged by the death of his comrades I would be 
able to brain him as he came up, with the tiller. I wrapped 
my cloak around me, (for by this time it had begun to rain 
and blow heavily), and took my seat on the deck, just abaft 
the entrance to the companion way, so that I could place the 
muzzle of a pistol against the head of any Dago who might 
ventuVe up. When I found that I had fairly got them in their 
own trap, I felt as if a couple of hundred pounds had sud- 
denly been lifted from my shoulders — such was the state of 
tension to which my nerves had been strung while down in 
that cabin. For several minutes after I had gained the deck, 
I heard the Dagos talking with each other, but in so low a 
tone, I could not understand what was said. In a little while 
however, they ceased talking, and, as I supposed, turned into 
their berths again. Still I never relaxed my vigilance, but 
watched the entrance to the companion way with the eyes of 
a hawk. An hour or more went by, and still I heard nothing 
from my friends below. At length a faint sound like the 
creaking of the rounds of the ladder attracted my attention, 
and I was satisfied one of the scoundrels was cautiously com- 
ing up. Presently, a black object [slowly protruded above 
the deck, and cocking one of my pistols, I jammed it against 
the Dago's head, and was just on the point of pulling the 
trigger when he 'let go all holds' and tumbled backwards with 
a heavy Hhud' on the cabin floor. The fall was a very severe 
one, and I think the Dago was pretty badly hurt, for I heard 
him groaning for several minutes afterwards. I supposed he 
had ventured up for the purpose of ascertaining what I was 



174: The Young Explorers. 

about, and thinking it highly probable, no doubt, that I had 
got pistols out of my trunk, he was on the *qui vive^ as well 
as myself, and the instant he heard the click of the lock, he 
threw himself backwards just in time to prevent me from 
blowing out his brains. 

"From that on the Dagos made no further attempt to come 
up, for they had found out I was armed and prepared to give 
them a warm reception — still I did not cease for a moment 
to keep a close watch on the entrance to the companion way 
through that long and dreary night. Towards daylight the 
wind blew a perfect hurricane, the rain came down at inter- 
vals m torrents, and vivid flashes of lightning occasionally 
lit up the lurid darkness, giving me glimpses of the seething 
and tumultuous waters around. The little vessel bobbed and 
pitched at her anchor in a fearful way, and every now and 
then a wave larger than usual would topple over her, com- 
pletely deluging the deck. I fully expected every moment 
she would be swamped; but whatever happened, I was de- 
termined to keep the Dagos below. It seemed to me that 
day would never break, but at last, to my great joy, I saw a 
few faint streaks of light in the east, and soon afterwards the 
shore on the larboard was dimly visible. Just as I was con- 
gratulating myself upon my escape from the dangers of the 
past night, a huge wave struck the little vessel amidship, and 
rolled hissing and seething over the deck and I was only 
saved from being washed away by clinging tightly to the til- 
ler. Undoubtedly the boat would have been swamped at her 
anchor, but fortunately, just then, the great strain upon the 
cable snapped it like a pack thread. She struggled to the 
surface again and then flew away like a frightened bird before 
the gale. Fortunately for me too, the wind was blowing di- 
rectly towards the mouth of the Manatee river, and in a few 
moments the boat had safely passed through the breakers 
into the smooth water within the bar. At that time there was 



The Young Explorers. 175 

a large fishing station just at the mouth of the river, which 
gave employment to thirty or forty men. Seeing a boat come 
driving into the harbor before the gale under bare poles, 
many of them hastened down to the beach to ascertain what 
she was and whether or not there was any one on board of 
her. By the time the boat had reached the shore, 
quite a crowd of the fishermen had collected at the place 
and several of them sprang on deck as soon as she grounded. 
Until then, no one had seen me, as I was hidden from view 
by the projecting roof of the companion way. When they 
discovered me me one of them exclaimed: 'Hello ! I say 
shipmate, are you the flying dutchman ? Where are you from, 
and what do you mean by scudding about under bare poles 
in such a gale of wind ?' In a few words I explained matters 
to them, telling them I was merely a passenger on the boat 
but that I had been compelled to keep the crew below all 
night to prevent them from murdering me. 'Yes,' said he, 
"we saw the boat come to anchor last evening in the bay and 
we all wondered why she did not run into the mouth of the 
river when it was plain a gale was brewing.' 'Well, tell 
them to come up,' said the one who had first spoken and who 
seemed to have control of the others, 'and let's have a squint 
at the bloody villains.' I thereupon called out in Spanish to 
the Dagos, down the companion way, and ordered them to 
come on deck at once. In a few moments they came up, one 
after the other, and a more cowed, sheepish looking trio I 
never beheld. As soon as they made their appearance on 
deck, and the fishermen discovered they were Dagos, a dozen 
or more seized them, and swore they would hang them to the 
first tree they could find. They had no friendly feelings to- 
wards them anyhow as a class, but looked upon them in the 
same light that the Californians do upon the 'heathen Chinee' 
— ^competitors in their trade and intruders on their own spe- 
cial fishing grounds. The Dagos were terribly frightened and 



176 The Young Explorers. 

begged me piteously not to let the men kill them. I told 
them they richly deserved hanging, as they well knew it was 
their intention to murder me, but as they had not succeeded, 
I would do what I could to save them. With much difficulty I 
prevailed upon the fishermen to spare their lives, but they 
sentenced them to receive fifty lashes apiece on their bare 
backs, and confiscated the smack and cargo. As there was 
no civil jurisdiction at that day on the Manatee, these men 
were 'a law unto themselves' and the sentence was forthwith 
carried into effect. The Dagos were well flogged, and then 
turned loose to make their way back to Cuba as best they 
could, and that," said I, "is the end of my Dago yarn.'' 

"And a very good yarn it is," said Willie, encouragingly, 
*'but if there was only something in it about a woman, and 
dying of love and broken hearts and 'congenial souls,' etc., 
it would have been more interesting of course. Just think, 
how much better it would have been, if one of the Dagos had 
had a pretty daughter on board, and she had fallen in love 
with you at first sight, warned you of the plot to murder you, 
stole the small boat after dark and rowed you safely to the 
land." 

"Yes, Willie," said I, "it would, but the yarn, such as it is, 
is a true one, and as there was no small boat on the smack, 
and none of those ill favored Dagos, had a pretty daughter on 
board (or elsewhere, I'm sure), and especially if I had stated 
that she had fallen in love with me, at first sight, it would 
have thrown discredit upon the whole story." ''Yes," said 
Willie naively, as he took a good look at my homely phiz, 
"I reckon you are right." 



OHAPTEE XIII. 

On the move again — Henry and Willie go on a buffalo 

CHASE WITH THE ChOCTAWS — LAWRENCE AND I EXPLORE 

THE Frio canon a short distance— Find and examine a 
SINGULAR CAVE— Visit the Choctaw camp and witness 
the "buffalo" and other dances — Indian rock tower — 
Uncle Seth takes a long pop at a buck— Lawrence and 

I GO out "prospecting" and find a huge NUGGET — Mr. 

Pitt's green-horn yarn. 

At sun rise the next morning we were all roused up by Un- 
cle Seth. "Come, boys," said he, ''turn out and git every- 
thing ready fur movin.' I don't want to keep the Injins wait- 
in' on us." We all jumped up at the summons, re-staked our 
horses on fresh grass, and then proceeded to pack our goods 
and chattels, except such as were needed for breakfast. 
This was quickly despatched, and saddling our animals we 
mounted and rode out to the encampment of our Indian allies. 
They were just ready to move as we came up, and as Uncle 
Seth said they knew the country better than he did, he re- 
quested Big Drunk to take the lead with his men. Big Drunk 
accordingly led the way with his warriors in single file, and 
we followed them in the same order, the "tout ensemble" as 
Mr. Pitt said, presenting quite a formidable and warlike ap- 
pearance. Our route was up the Frio, keeping close along 
the river, except occasionally when we were compelled to 
diverge by abrupt hills or dense chapparals. We passed a 
number of pretty little valleys on the way, now no doubt the 
abode of many a hardy frontiersman, but at that time prob- 
ably the foot of a white man had never before pressed their 
virgin soil. We had at length reached the unknown, unex- 

31 



178 The Young Explorers. 

plored wilderness. In one of these little valleys, where we 
halted a few moments to adjust the pack on the mule, Willie 
picked up several garnets, a species of gem of no great value 
I believe, but very beautiful and brilliant when cut and pol- 
ished. About midday we came to the southern end of the 
canyon, down which the Frio finds its way for nearly forty 
miles, through the rugged range of high hills on the upper or 
northern edge of which it takes its rise. Here it was deter- 
mined to pitch camp, in order that spies might be sent for- 
ward to reconoitre the canyon beTore we entered it, and thus 
guard ourselves against the danger of an ambuscade. Two 
of Big Drunk's warriors were despatched on this mission, with 
instructions to go some miles up the canyon and to notice 
particularly if there was any sign indicating that any large 
party of Indians had recently passed through it. The two 
spies were soon ready for their expedition, and leaving their 
horses in charge of the other Indians, they started on foot up 
the canyon. As soon as they left, we proceeded to pitch our 
tents near the entrance where there was a fine bold spring 
and plenty of grass for the animals. A mile or so back from 
where we had pitched camp, we had crossed a large buffalo 
trail, very recently made, and Big Drunk selected five or six 
of his best hunters to go with him in search of the game. At 
the earnest request of Henry and Willie, who were anxious to 
participate in the chase. Uncle Seth permitted them to ac- 
company Big Drunk and his party, but with strict injunctions 
that on no account were they to leave their Choctaw friends. 
"Don't be flaid," said Big Drunk, ''I keep dem boy safe 
wid me.'' 

After we had pitched the tent and staked the horses, Law- 
rence and I took our guns and strolled up the canon to see 
what discoveries we could make. We had no fear of hostile 
Indians as we knew our spies were ahead of us in the canon, 
and our encampment was immediately at the entrance, so 



The Young Explorers. 179 

that we were well guarded on the two quarters by which 
alone an enemy could approach. We found the pass quite 
wide and accessible for a short distance, but after going up 
it perhaps half a mile, it narrowed to a mere gulch or canon 
not more than a hundred and fifty yards in width where it 
was hemmed in on both sides by almost impassible walls of 
rock several hundred feet high. Down these rocky walls a 
streamlet here and there poured its limpid waters from ledge 
to ledge, until they finally mingled with the no less clear and 
sparkling waters of the Frio. Just at the narrowest point of 
the pass, we observed the mouth of a cave forty or fifty feet 
above the bed of the river. We clambered up to this cave 
with some difficulty and peeped into it, but it was so dark 
within we could see nothing distinctly. "I have a great curi- 
osity," said Lawrence, "to examine the interior of this cave, 
and I propose we do so." "All right," said I, "we can easily 
make a torch of dry cedar" (of which there was an abund- 
ance in the vicinity). We went to work with our butcher 
knives, split up a quantity of dry cedar limbs, which we 
bound together with strips of bear grass. Then entering the 
mouth of the cave, which was high enough for one to walk 
erect, we ignited some tinder and soon had our torch in a 
blaze. Looking around we ascertained that we were in a 
large vaulted room fifteen or twenty feet high and between 
thirty and forty in width, but which extended back farther 
than we could see by the light of our torch. We had gone 
but a few feet from the entrance when Lawreuce stumbled 
over some object and holding his torch closely to it, we saw 
that it was the skull of a human being. Upon further exami- 
nation we found that the floor of this cave was strewn with 
the bones of human beings mingled with those of the deer, 
bear and other wild animals and also the decayed remnants 
of elk and moose horns. The moose horns must have been 
brought there from a great distance as the animal was not a 



ISO The Young Explorers. 

native of Texas. Ivawrence picked up among the debris, sev- 
eral of the most delicately cut obsidian spear and arrow heads 
I had ever seen, and I believe he sent them subsequently to 
the Smithsonian Institute. We were prevented from making 
as complete an examination of the cave as we wished, by the 
bats. Roused from their slumbers by the light of our torch, 
they thronged about it like gigantic moths, and at length 
fairly put it out with the flapping of their wings. We were 
compelled to grope our way to the entrance, from whence we 
descended to the trail leading along the canon. We contin- 
ued our explorations a mile or so farther, but finding nothing 
of particular interest we retraced our steps to camp and got 
there just as Cudjo was dishing up supper. Willie and Henry 
had just returned from the buffalo hunt, and the former gave 
us a glowing description of the exciting chase they had after 
the buffalo, over hills and gulches and prairies — how they at 
last came up with him in spite of all their efforts to escape 
and opened a fusillade upon them with guns and pistols — how 
Henry had come very near being umhorsed by an old bull, 
which had been wounded, and which made a sudden and un- 
expected charge upon him, and how he, Willie, had killed a 
yearling by a shot from his derringer. "I tell you what, 
boys," continued Willie, after stopping a moment to catch 
his breath, ''I wouldn't have missed seeing this buffalo chase 
for a great deal. It 'filled the bill' according to my notions 
exactly. First the wild scamper over hill and valley which 
stirs a fellow up from head to heel — then the Indians yelling 
and charging here and there upon their foaming steeds, the 
popping of guns and pistols, the bellowing of bulls, the rush, 
the clattering of horse's hoofs, and occasionally the headlong 
tumble to the ground of some 'old monarch of the prairies,' 
formed a 'tout ensemble,' as Mr. Pitt would say, that would 
have made the blood tingle in the veins of a tellow who had 
had the 'fever'n ager' for twelve months. Oh, it was glori- 



The Young Explorers. 181 

ous." "Yes," said Henry, ''that's all very fine, but you don't 
say a word about the old bull you charged upon so brashly, 
that turned the tables upon you and chased you for more 
than a quarter of a mile in sight of the whole crowd." 
"That's so," replied Willie, getting slightly red in the face, 
"I did run from him I admit, but then you see both of my 
pistols were empty, and — and, the old rascal looked so vi- 
cious with his blood-shot eyes and shaggy mane, I — I would 
have run if both my pistols had been loaded. There now, 
are you satisfied?" "Oh yes," said Henry, "an honest con- 
fession is good for the soul, and that's all I could ask." 
"Well, Willie," said Mr. Pitt; who had stayed in camp all 
the evening with Uncle Seth and Cudjo, "I have no doubt 
you have all had a fine time, — Lawrence and Mr. Dobell in 
exploring the wonderful cave they found, and Henr)'' and 
yourself on the buffalo chase. Still I don't believe you have 
enjoyed yourselves any more than Uncle Seth, Cudjo and I 
have in camp here. After I had mended my saddle rigging, 
Cudjo fixed us up a nice snack. Uncle Seth told us a good 
yarn, and we then spread our blankets on the grass, and had 
a quiet, comfortable snooze. "We didn't envy them at all, 
did we Cudjo," said Mr. Pitt, to that redoubtable warrior. 
"Dat we didn't," said Cudjo, "long's a feller got nuffin' to 
do but eat and den go to sleep tell he gits hongry agin, I tink 
he's 'bout as well off as anybody." "Ah, Cudjo," said WilUie, 
"I see very plainly we shall never be able to make a frontiers- 
man of you; and it isn't to be wondered at either," he con- 
tinued, "for you see, Cudjo, you come of a race that have 
never been noted for their enterprise and energy. If you 
were all set free to-morrow, ninety-nine out of a hundred, 
twenty years from now, would still be what you are, 'hewers 
of wood, and drawers of water^ for the energetic go ahead 
Saxon." "I don't know nuffin' at all 'bout all dat," said Cud- 
jo, "but de Saxoms welcome to go ahead and break he neck 



182 The Young Explorers. 

too, runnin arter bufferlo ebery day ef he wants to, pervidin' 
Cudjo's got plenty to eat, an a good warm place to quile up 
in wen he's sleepy." ''Cudjo wants his vittels here below,'' 
said Mr. Pitt, "and wants those vittels warm, and I rather 
think his view of the question is the most philosophical after 
all, and the fact is, boys," continued Mr. Pitt, who managed 
by a little judicious flattery to get more out of Cudjo than 
anybody else, "the fact is, boys, I don't believe any of you 
ever get much the advantage in argufying with Cudjo. I 
notice he generally holds his own pretty well, and, by the by, 
Cudjo," Mr. Pitt added, "you mustn't forget to grease my 
boots to-night for they are as hard as pot metal." 

During the evening Big Drunk called at our camp, ana in- 
vited us to come over after supper, and see the buffalo dance 
they were going to have in honor of the successful hunt they 
had made. Uncle Seth declined the invitation on the plea 
that he had to "tinker" the triggers of his rifle, which had 
somehow got out of order, but he said he reckoned the boys 
would like to see the dance, and if we wanted to go, that he 
would keep camp frill we come back. Of course we were all 
anxioue to witness the proceedings, and willingly accepted 
Big Drunk's invitation, with the exception of Cudjo, who I 
think was rather apprehensive that another surfeit of buffalo 
ribs was impending. However, his curiosity finally got the 
better of his apprehensions, and he concluded to go with us. 

Entering the Choctaw camp, we found Big Drunk and his 
men busily engaged in adorning themselves for the dance, 
painting their faces and bodies (which were naked to the 
waist) with white and black pigments in the most grotesque 
manner. The styles of some of their head dresses too were 
unique, and would have made the "girl of the period" hide 
her diminished head, chignon and all, from mere shame and 
envy. We took our seats upon some buffalo skins that were 
spread upon the grass for our accommodation, and quietly 



The Young Explorers, 183 

waited for the ball to begin. A large fire of dry wood was 
built in the centre of a level plat of ground, from which 
every stone and stick that might interfere with the movements 
of the dancers, had been carefully cleared away. Big Drunk 
opened the ball by entering this arena and commencing to 
dance with a slow up and down movement, to which a lugu- 
brious ditty, composed of short sylables, jerked out spasmod- 
ically and the rattling of a gourd partly filled with gravel, 
formed an appropriate accompaniment. Presently, another 
warrior joined Big Drunk, and then another, and another, 
until all were dancing in the same monotonous manner. 
When all were collected in the arena, they joined hands, and 
forming a circle around the fire the regular dance began, of 
which the previous "solo" dances seemed to have been only 
a kind of prelude. During the dance the Indians spoke or 
rather sang in their own language, and of course we could 
not understand what was said, but we readily conjectured 
from their gestures and movements, that the figures were in- 
tended to represent in pantomime, all that takes place on a 
buffalo chase — the helter skelter run after the game; the 
firing of guns; the bellowing of the bulls and the headlong 
fall of those fatally pierced by bullets, etc., the whole wind- 
ing up by their marching around in single file, each one in a 
stooping position as though he were heavily laden with the 
weight of the meat he was bringing back from the successful 
chase. After the buffalo dance several other dances were 
gone through with, the bear dance, the scalp dance, the tor- 
ture dance, etc. In the latter, which I suppose was the usual 
one danced at the Indian "auto da fes" or burnings at the 
stake, there was so much violent gesticulation, such fiendish 
yells and horrible contortions of the countenance, that Cud- 
jo was frightened, and got up from his seat evidently with the 
intention of making tracks for camp, but Mr. Pitt noticed 
the movement, and stopped him by telling him, that if he 



184 The Young Explorers. 

left the ground before the ceremonies were ended, the Indians 
would regard it as a mortal affront, and probably wind up the 
performances with a genuine "torture dance" in which he 
would figure conspicuously. Mr. Pitt's remonstrance had 
the desired effect, and Cudjo resumed his seat again, but it 
was very apparent he was sick of the "show" and wished him- 
self safely back at home. 

As soon as the last dance was ended, Mr. Pitt concluded he 
would have a little fun out of Cudjo, so he stepped up to Big 
Drunk, and after giving him to understand that we were all 
highly pleased with their dances, he told him we were desir- 
ous of contributing something towards the entertainments of 
the evening and if he wished it, we would get Cudjo to "pat 
Juba" which Mr. Pitt said, was the war dance of Congo, his 
native land. '^Me like see 'em belly well," said Big Drunk," 
and forthwith he ranged his warriors around the fire, who 
patiently waited for Cudjo to make his appearance in the 
ring. Mr. Pitt then went to Cudjo and told him the Indians 
wanted to see him pat Juba, as they had been told he could 
not be beat at it by any darkey in the settlements. "Deed, 
Mass Pitt," said Cudjo, "I don't want to pat Juba fur all dem 
wile Injins. I'd rather be 'scused to-night, and you kin tell 
'em I got de reumatiz mity bad in my off laig." "Oh, that 
will never do, Cudjo," said Mr. Pitt, "the Indians have danced 
several times for us, and if you refuse to dance for them when 
they ask you, they will certainly be highly affronted and there's 
no telling what they may do." "Drat dese Injins," said Cud- 
jo, "I don't want nufhn' more to do wid 'em. Dey's altogeder 
too techy for me. Ef you don't eat wid 'em tell you bust, 
dey's 'fronted, an ef you don't dance when dey gin the word, 
dey wants ter take your sculp. I'm afeared all de time I'm 
wid 'em I'll do suffiin' or nuder dey don't like, afore I knows 
it, and den I 'spose off go my sculp. Drat 'em, it's sculp, 
sculp, wid 'em from mornin' tell night." "Yes, that's so," 



The Yoimg Explorers, 185 

said Mr. Pitt, "but the only thing to do now is, to get out of 
the scrape the best way you can, and I'm pretty sure if you 
don't dance, and dance your very best at that, that in less 
than 'ten minutes you will have no more wool on the top of 
your head than you have in the palm of your hand." Thus 
urged, Cudjo reluctantly entered the ring and began to pat 
Juba, all the while eyeing the surrounding warriors closely, 
to see what effect his performances were having upon them. 
But Indians are not at ail demonstrative and seldom exhibit 
any signs of approbation, even when highly pleased, and al- 
though Cudjo put in all his fancy touches, such as had often 
won him unbounded applause from many a select crowd of 
darkies, the Indians still looked on as apathetically and grim- 
ly as if they had fully made up their minds to scalp the 
dancer the moment the "jig was up." Cudjo, no doubt, 
finally came to this conclusion himself, and that his only 
chance to save his scalp was to "do the thing up brown" and 
his efforts to give satisfaction to the glum warriors were al- 
most superhuman. He beat the ground as he danced with 
the palm of one of his hands, and at the same time, the top 
of his head with the other, then the soles of his feet and the 
calves of his legs (or rather the places where the calves 
should have been, for what little he had of those appendages 
was on the wrong side) and jumped up and down and around 
with such rapidity and vigor, that the perspiration rolled off 
his forehead in drops as big as mustang grapes. At last, how- 
ever, seeing no signs of approval on the countenances of the 
stolid warriors, and completely exhausted by his violent efforts, 
Cudjo dropped on the ground in utter despair, and resigned 
himself, as he supposed, to his inevitable fate. But the love 
of life was still strong within him, and seeing two or three of 
the warriors advancing towards him, his dread of being 
scalped, gave him renewed strength, and springing suddenly 
to his feet, he darted. off at the top of his speed in the direc- 



186 The Young Explorers. 

tion of our camp and was quickly lost to view in the sur- 
rounding gloom. 

The Indians seemed somewhat astonished at this ^'finale" 
of Cudjo's national dance, but eventually I think they- came 
to the conclusion that his sudden exit was merely the usual 
winding up. I am rather inclined to believe, Ijowever, that 
Big Drunk (who was a pretty shrewd fellow) had some sus- 
picions of the true state of the case, for I heard him say to 
Mr. Pitt when Cudjo abandoned the field so hastily, "Ah, 
hah ! tent done coich fire agin, may be so." 

Shortly after Cudjo left, we bid our friends good night, and 
returned to our o\yn camp. We found Cudjo coiled up in his 
blanket and fast asleep before the fire. Uncle* Seth laughed 
heartily when we told him of Cudjo's performances at the 
dance and of his sudden retreat from the field. "Niggers/' 
said he, looking rather contemptuously towards the uncon- 
scious Cudjo, "Niggers always puts me in mind of children, 
one minit they's cryin, fit to break their hearts, and the next 
they's laughin^ so you kin hear 'em a mile off — pervidin' the 
wind's right. But no matter ef they's scared out'n their five 
senses, or hongry or sufferin' with the jumpin' tooth-ache, 
just gin 'em a chance to quile up in a blanket with their heads 
to the fire, and they's fast asleep afore you kin turn roun'. 
They say," continued Uncle Seth, "that Adam and Eve was 
the forbears of all the people in the world, and I s'pose i'ts a 
fact, fur it's down in the Bible, but they has sartinly had a 
hard road to travel somehow, or how is it they come by their 
black skin and wooly heads and skulls thick as a bufi"erlos — 
that's what I want to know?" "Scientists contend," said Mr. 
Pitt, "that their black skin, wooly heads, etc., are due to their 
long residence in hot or tropical countries." "May be so," 
said Uncle Seth, but the wooliest animules I've ever seed, 
were in cold countries; and though I wouldn't ventur to 
dispute their word, fur you see I hain't no book larnin', the 



The Young Explorers, 187 

fust time you meet up with any of them sientisters I wish 
you'd ax 'em fur me, what's the reason the Injins in South 
Ameriky 'long the Amerson'ain't black and wooly headed, 
and if the niggers will git white agin, when they've lived as 
long in cold countries as they have in hot." Before Mr. Pitt 
could bring his ''scientific authorities" to bear on this knotty 
question, Uncle Seth had "quiled" himself in his blanket, 
and we all soon followed his example. 

The next morning just after we had finished breakfast, the 
two Indian spies returned to camp, and they reported they 
had gone fifteen or twenty miles up the canyon, and had found 
no recent Indian sign any where in it. "I no like Comanche 
set trap fur me," said Big Drunk, "but all right now and purty 
soon we go." When the two spies had stowed away about 
five pounds of buffalo meat apiece, and rested a long while 
after their long tramp, we saddled and mounted our horses, 
and proceeded towards the entrance of the canyon. A mile 
or so beyond the cave Lawrence and I had explored, upon 
the apex of a high peak overlooking all the surrounding hills, 
we observed what we supposed to be an Indian watching the 
advance of our party. Uncle Seth told us, however, it was 
a small pillar built of rocks by the Indians, but for what pur- 
pose he could not say. He told us he had frequently seen 
similar ones in his travels throu2"h the mountainous re2:ions 
of Texas. The farther we went up the canyon, the wilder 
and more rugged became the scenery that presented itself to 
our view. The canyon in most places narrowed to a mere 
gulch, scarcely wide enough to give passage to the diminished 
stream of the Frio, through the clear shallow waters of which 
we often took our way in preference to the rocky trail along 
the banks. Just as we entered a little valley into which the 
canyon at that point widened out, Big Drunk called Uncle 
Seth's attention to a large buck standing on the very verge of 
a bluff, three or four hundred feet high, and asked him if he 



188 The Young Explorers 

thought he could bring him down with his rifle. It was per- 
haps four hundred yards from where we were to where the 
buck was standing, and Uncle Seth told him it was a mighty 
long shot but if he would halt his men, he would try what he 
could do. Big Drunk thereupon ordered his men to stop, 
and Uncle Seth dismounted, advanced a few paces to the 
front where there was a small mesquite tree growing, on one 
of the lower branches of which he rested his rifle. Taking 
deliberate aim and elevating his sight a foot or more above 
the buck, he fired. At the report of the gun, the buck sprang 
beyond the edge of the bluff" and rolled down its almost ver- 
tical face into the trail ahead of us. The Choctaws were 
much astonished when they saw the buck fall, and manifested 
their admiration of Uncle Seth's skill with the rifle, by va- 
rious exclamations or grunts rather, but which it is impossi- 
ble to express by written language. In fact, we were as much 
astonished as the Choctaws at the result of such a long shot, 
for in those days of old fashioned fire arms, the rifle could 
not be depended upon to kill at a greater distance than one 
hundred and fifty or at the most two hundred yards. But 
now with the improved Henry, Sharps and Winchester rifles, 
such a feat as the killing of a deer at the distance of four 
hundred or even six hundred yards would not be regarded as 
at all extraordinary. 

The trail we were traveling was exceedingly rough and 
broken in many places, and the consequence was we made 
but slow progress. By the usual time for encamping. Big 
Drunk told us we were not quite half way through the canyon. 
At that point the Frio forked, one branch heading up in a 
north-easterly and the other in a north-westerly direction. 
We pitched our camp just below the junction of the two 
streams where the canyon widened out to a valley of some 
size. Many groves of Pecan, elm and oak trees dotted its 
surface, giving it the appearance of ornamented grounds. 



The Young Explorers, 189 

Rugged, rocky hills four or five hundred feet high, thickly- 
covered in most places with a stunted growth of cedar and 
other dwarfish shrubs, everywhere seemed to shut in this 
secluded valley with apparently impassible barriers. Near 
the grove of pecan trees in which we had pitched our camp, 
we found a number of huge pine logs, some of them fully 
sixty feet in length; all of them converted by time into solid 
pitch pine or ''light 'ud" as the Georgia Crackers call it. 
There were no pine trees growing in the vicinity, and Uncle 
Seth said he had never seen one west of the San Antonio 
river. We could not conjecture from whence they had come 
unless they had been brought down by floods from forests 
that existed on the branches of the Frio. But, if there were 
any, they must have been high up on the eastern branch, for 
on the west fork, which we afterwards followed to its head, 
we saw none. We questioned Big Drunk on the subject, and 
he told us He had never seen a pine tree before any where in 
that region. He said he had traveled up the eastern branch 
of the Frio, some years previously when trapping for beaver, 
and that if there had been any pine groves upon it he cer- 
tainly would have noticed them. Big Drunk also told us in 
the course of the "talk" we had with him on this occasion, 
that there was a tradition among the Indians that gold had 
been found by the Spaniards in large quantities, at or near 
the junction of the two branches of the Frio. Lawrence and 
I, on hearing this, concluded we would do a little ''prospect- 
ing" in the vicinity, and as soon as the tent was pitched, we 
got a tin basin for "panning out" and went to where the two 
forks of the Frio came together, four or five hundred yards 
above our camp. Selecting an "auriferous" looking spot near 
the water, where there were the usual concomitant, of gold, 
such as quartz, granite and black sand, we went to work in 
regular miner fashion and "panned out"' a dozen or more 
pecks of earth — but not a color could we find. 



190 The Young Explorers. 

Abandoning all hopes of finding any nuggets, we started 
back to camp, but on the way I concluded to make one more 
trial before giving it up. Filling the basin with sand and 
earth, I immersed it in the clear water of the Frio, and washed 
the contents carefully until nothing was left in the pan except 
a handful of blank sand, among which I discovered a shining 
particle about the size of a pin head, which after a minute 
examination we were satisfied was gold. The embryo nugget 
was worth perhaps about ten cents, and carefully wrapping 
it in a piece of paper, we carried it to camp and triumphantly 
exhibited our treasure to the admiring gaze of our compan- 
ions. But Willie, in his eagerness to get a good look at the 
nugget, gave the paper containing it a tilt, and it rolled out 
upon the ground, and notwithstanding we searched for it 
diligently we were unable to find it. I mention this incident 
because, although, I had often heard of specimens of gold 
being found in Texas, that was the first and last time I ever 
saw one myself. Taking into consideration, however, the 
finding of this particle of gold at the verj^ locality, where? 
according to Indian tradition, the precious metal had been 
found in abundance by the Spaniards, I think it possible that 
some day or other the truth of the tradition may be verified. 

Big Drunk had told us our route wonld be up the western 
branch of the Frio, as he said the trail up the eastern one 
was only practicable for men on foot. Whilst prospecting 
near the junction of the two streams, Lawrence and I had 
cast our eyes towards the wild gorges of the canyon, through 
which the eastern branch of the Frio poured its waters, and 
the misty outlines of the rugged hills in the distance and we 
were exceedingly anxious to explore the mysteries of this un- 
known region. The fates proved propitious to us and we 
were enabled partially to gratify our wishes in this respect. 
On our return te camp, we found that Uncle Seth and Big 
Drunk had concluded it would be best for us to remain where 



The Young Explorers. 191 

we were the next day in order to give our animals a chance 
to rest and recruit themselves on the luxuriant grass in the 
vicinity before we ventured out on the great plains beyond 
the head of the Frio, where Big Drunk said the grazing was 
scanty, and water to be had only at certain localities, which 
^were "few and far between.'^ As soon as Lawrence and I 
understood that this arrangement had been agreed upon by 
the '*high contracting parties," Uncle Seth and Big Drunk, 
we resolved to spend the next day in exploring the valley or 
rather the canyon of the eastern branch of the Frio, at least 
as far as we could in such a limited time. Mr. Pitt said he 
would go with us, and both Hsury and Willie wished to do so 
too, but Uncle Seth put his veto on that, for he said we would 
have to travel on foot, and that they were too young to under- 
go the fatigues of such a tramp; and besides he said the 
Choctaws were going to drive the canyon the next day for 
deer, and he wanted Henry and Willie to help, in order that 
we might come in for a share of the meat. With the pros- 
pect of a big hunt the next day, with the Choctaws, Willie 
and Henry did not insist on going with us. 

After supper had been dispatched and we were all comfort- 
ably seated around the fire, which Cudjo occasionally replen- 
ished with pieces of fat pine, Willie called on Mr. Pitt for a 

yarn. "Come, Mr. Pitt," said he, "it's your turn again to 
give us a yarn, but please spin us one with a woman in it. 
Mr. Dobell's Dago story, was very good, but it lacked that 
sort of seasoning." "AH right, Willie," said Mr. Pitt, "I was 
just on the eve of volunteering to spin you one, in which a 
pretty girl figures prominently, (but I warn you beforehand 
that she is none of your lackadaisical, sentimental kind), and 
I cannot preface my yarn more appropriately than by those 
well known lines: 

'Oh woman, in our hours of ease, 
Uncertain, coy and hard to please; 
When pain and anguish wring the brow 
A ministering angel thou." 



192 The Young Explorers. 

"A very good preface," said Willie, "but like Mr. Dobell 
you don't quote correctly. The lines should be: 

Oh, woman, in our hours of ease, 
You'll hardly give us bread and cheese, 
When pains of hunger gnaw the b — — ly, 
You pamper us on cakes and jelly." 

"Look a here, boys," said Uncle Seth, "ef you don't intend 
to do nothin' but sing 'song ballads' all night, say so, 
and I'll turn in. I don't go high on that sort of thing, no 
how." "I stand corrected," said Mr. Pitt, and will proceed 
at once without further preface to relate what I call my 
*green horn yarn.' A good many years ago, I was clerking 
for a large mercantile house in Louisville, Ky. They wished 
for certain reasons to obtain information in regard to trade 
with the colonies of Texas and the adjoining Mexican states, 
and though I was not yet out of my ^teens,' and as green as a 
cut seed water-melon, the firm concluded to employ me as 
their agent to attend to the business. At that time (several 
years before the colonies rebelled against Mexico), the Amer- 
ican settlements in Texas were confined to a narrow strip of 
country, comparatively bordering the gulf, and the only way 
of getting from one of these settlements to another was on 
horseback. Well, you see boys," said Mr. Pitt, as he gently 
twisted his moustache between his forefinger and thumb, "in 
my youthful days it was the unanimous opinion of ni}'^ friends 
(especially my female ones) that I was quite an Adonis as to 
looks, and with this opinion it is hardly necessary to say, my 
own fully coincided. The natural result of this state of things 
was, that I 'evolved' as the scientists say, from a monad into 
the most conceited coxcomb imaginable. I thought that 
every girl who showed me the slightest civility was a victim 
to my 'taking ways' and good looks, and that I only had to 
say the word to bring about an unconditional surrender. It 
is necessary I should make this humiliating confession in or- 



The Young Explorers, 193 

der that you may fully understand my story. One hot sum- 
mer day, while traveling from one settlement to another, I 
became very thirsty, and went to a house a short distance 
from the road to get a drink. I dismounted at the gate» 
hitched my horse to the fence, and walked in. A good look- 
ing buxom country lass was seated on the 'stoop' and stepping 
up to her, I bowed in my most facinating style, and asked her 
if she would be kind enough to give me a drink of water. 
^Oh, sartainly,' said she, 'take a cheer and I'll send to the 
spring for a bucket of fresh.' I took a seat, and the young 
lady called to a little negro boy, who was making dirt pies in 
the yard, and told him to take the bucket and run to the 
spring. 'Run now, and make haste back, Jake,' said she, 'for 
I reckon the gentleman's very dry.' Jake came in, seized 
the pail and started for the spring, and the young lady again 
took her seat. 'She is decidedly pretty,' said I to myself,-as I 
gazed admiringly at her rosy cheeks, bright eyes and buxom 
form, evidently too an unsophisticated country girl, a child of 
nature, and I must condecend to a little flirtation with her 
if for no other purpose than to show her whot a vast differ- 
ence there is between her clod hopping beaux, and a city 
bred young gentleman. I noticed when I came in that 
she was reading some book (which she still held in her 
hand) and hitching my chair a little closer to her, I said: 
*You seem to be very much interested in that book you have 
there, probably,' said I, 'it's the '^Sorrows of Werter" or the 
^'Pilgrims of the Rhine." 'The what ?' said she, 'Great Jeru- 
saiim ! who ever hearn tell of sich books. Ef they is raily 
sich, I'm at the fust of it— though I come to think of it I have 
seed the "Pilgrim's Progress."— This book is the '-Westring 
Songster." 'Ah, yes,' said I, 'I've read it— some very pretty 
songs in it, and I would like to know,' said I, hitching n? 
chair a little closer,' which of them all is your favorite sor^.' 
'Well,' said she, 'I dunno adzactly, but I believe I like "Roll 

38 



194 The Young Explm'ers. 

on silvery moon, guide the traveler on his way" better'n any 
&i them — but you needn't take that as a hint to be going,' 
and she smiled mischeivously as she said this and in a way 
that didn't seem altogether suitable for an unsophisticated 
country girl. Thinks I, this 'child of nature' is not as guile- 
less by half as I supposed, and notwithstanding my assurance 
and self-complacency, her reply disconcerted me no little 
and I was glad that Jake at that moment got back from the 
spring, and made a diversion in my favor. 'Jake/ said she 
hand the gentleman a "kokernut." Have some more,' said 
she, when I had drained the 'kokernut.' 'No, thank you,' 
said I, and Jake replaced the dipper in the pail, and went out 
to finish a dirt pie that was lacking an upper crust. 

"I began my approaches cautiously once more by introduc- 
ing several ordinary topics of conversation such as the weather, 
the crops, etc. She listened to all I had to say complacently, 
and I thought with increasing interest, (smiling pleasantly all 
the while and showing a set of beautiful white teeth) until at 
last I was confident I had made my usual favorable impression 
and that I might venture on subjects not quite so common- 
place and formal. So edging my chair close enough this 
time to let one of my hands fall accidentally as it were upon 
one of hers, and looking tenderly at her, I said to her con- 
fidingly, that I would like to have her opinion on a certain 
matter. 'Well blab it out,' said she, *and don't set there 
wallin' up the whites of your eyes like a sick kitten,' and say" 
ing this she jerked her hand away from mine. This wasn't 
very encouraging, but I had so much faith in my fascination 
I determined to go through with my programme. 'Well,' said 
I, 'suppose you were a judge, and a young gentleman was 
tried before you for kissing a beautiful young lady, one with 
rosy cheeks, red lips and bright blue eyes just like yours, and 
he was to plead that he couldn't help it, though he did his 
level best, would you be so hard-hearted as to send him to 



The Young Explorers. 195 

the penitentiary?' and I looked up at her with a beseeching 
expression of countenance. 'Well, I dunno/ said she, 'if he 
•was a raal good looking young feller, and he could prove his 
breath didn't smell of ingons nor bal' face whiskey when he 
did itj, I dunno ef I would come down pertickerly brash on 
him.' 'Then/ said I, 'I'll take the chances. I'm not much 
Oft looks I know, but at any rate my breath don't smell of 
onions nor bald face whiskey,' and I leant over suddenly and 
gave her cheek a hearty smack. 

"For a moment or so she sat still and never said a word, but 
it was only the deceitful calm before the storm. Then she 
got up deliberately, went to the edge of the porch and called 
to Jake. 'Jake,' said she, 'run right down to the 'tater patch, 
aftd tell pop there's a gentleman here wants to see him. 
Tell him to come quick and bring his gun along with him, 
for the hawk is after the chickens agin.' Jake scooted I 
thought with needless haste considering I had no particular 
business to transact with pop, and the young lady returned 
quietly to her seat — though I could see by the way she bit 
her lips and from the flashing of her eyes that she was as 
mad as a hornet. Thinks I, if she is a 'chip of the old block' 
it will be best for me not to wait until the 'old block' puts in 
am appearance, so I got up and bidding her good day I started 
to leave. 'Oh, don't go yit,' said she, 'pop'll be here terreck- 
ly and I know he'll be mity glad to see you.' 'Thank you,' 
said I, 'I'll call again when I've more time, but it's getting 
late now and I've a good way to travel yet,' and I again 
started to leave. 'Oh, do wait for pop,' said she, I know he'll 
be powerful glad to see you,' and she suddenly sprang up, 
seized one of my hands in both of hers, and held it fast, try- 
ing at the same time to smile as sweetly as she had done be- 
fore the 'little unpleasantness' occurred between us — but it 
was a dead failure, for her white teeth gleamed like a she 
hyenas, and there was a wicked expression in her blue eyes 



196 The Young Explorers. 

that belied the tender and pleading look she gave me. Now 
here was a dilemma out of which I could see no chance for 
an escape. I knew I could tear myself loose from her grasp 
fey *main force and brutality,' but the idea of doing so was 
»ot to be entertained for a moment. I would run any risk I 
thought — brave even an angry pop rather than retreat so un- 
gallantly from the field. Just then, however, I happened to 
turn my eyes in the direction of the 'tater patch' and I saw 
pop about two hundred yards oif coming towards the house 
with his gun on his shoulder. My courage like Bob Acres, 
and my gallantry too, at the sight of pop, oozed out of my 
finger ends notwithstanding the young lady grasped them so 
tightly, and I made a violent effort to liberate myself; but 
these robust country girls are not like effeminate city belles, 
and she 'held on to the willows^ with astonishing vigor, and 
all the time that terrible pop of hers, was nearing the 
house rapidly. Scarcely knowing what I was about, in the 
desperation of the moment, I exclaimed, 'unhand me, villain,' 
and giving a sudden and violent jerk, I tore loose from the 
muscular siren, and made tracks swiftly for my horse. 'Never 
mind,' she screamed after me, *pop'll git you yet, you sneak- 
ing, cowardly coyote, see if he don't — I'll make him foUer 
you .to Jeriko, and he'll fill your hide so full of holes it won't 
hold shucks.' 

"Scarcely had I unfastened my bridle and leaped into the 
saddle (and it didn't take me long to do both), when pop 
reached the house, and after a word or two with that vixen 
daughter of his, he started towards me, beckoning at the same 
time to stop. Ordinarily I am of a sociable disposition, but 
just then I had no time for 'chit-chat' — all I wanted was to 
be 'over the hills and far away' with a full moon 'to guide the 
traveler on his way,' and (thanks to a pretty good 'chunk of 
a pony' and a rank pair of Mexican spurs) I was there in less 
than ten minutes. 



The Young Explorers. 197 

"When I had placed a safe distance as I supposed, between 
Pop and myself, I checked up my horse and rode on more 

leisurely until I came to the settlement of B . By the 

time I got there, the sun was getting quite low, and as I was 
both tired and hungry, I concluded to stop there, although I 
had some misgivings that pop might follow me. A consider- 
able boom seemed to have struck the settlement at B , for 

in addition to a blacksmith shop, a grocery and two saloons, 
it could boast also of quite a stylish little hotel. Riding up 
to a rack in front of the last, I dismounted, hitched my horse 
and stepped into the 'office.' 'Can I get quarters here,^ said 
I to the 'gentlemanly clerk' who officiated therein. 'Oh, 
certainly,' said he, 'we wage war after a civilized fashion, and 
give quarter to everybody that asks for it- — but look out for 
the bill in the morning.' In those days of scant accommo- 
dations a traveler could rarely get a bed to himself, to say 
nothing of a room, and taking the clerk a little aside, I said 
to him confidentially, 'I am the traveling agent for Blatter &: 
Blobbs, and as I have a considerable amount of funds with 
me belonging to the firm, I would like if possible to have a 
room to myself, and you can charge whatever you think is 
right for such extra accommodation.' The gentlemanly clerk 
was evidently prepossessed in my favor by the information I 
gave him as to the amount of funds in my possession, and at 
once conducted me to a room up stairs, which he said I could 
have to myself, and that when the bell rang I could come 
down to supper. The room he gave me fronted on the street, 
aad in a little while after my horse had been taken to the 
corral, I heard some one hail the house. Looking through the 
window, to my dismay, I saw the fearful pop, sitting on his 
horse, with a double barrel shot-gun on his shoulder. Just 
tken the clerk stepped out to see what he wanted. 'I say,' 
asked pop, 'has a young feller that was ridin* of a sorrel nag 
stopped here?' 'Well, I don't know,' said the clerk, 'what 



198 The Young Explorers 

sort of a looking fellow was he?' 'Can't say adzactly,' said 
pop, *for he wouldn't hold still long enough for me to git a 
good sight on him, but my darter, Texana, says he yvras as 
ornery looking a cuss as she ever laid her eyes on — but I'd 
know him if I see'd him and I expect he'd know me too 
(and he was right). I've got a little private business to settle 
with the gentleman, and it won't take me longer than I can 
pull a trigger to do it. I'll larn the jackanapes to come 
kissin' and foolin' 'round my darters. The gentlemanly clerk 
took in the situation of affairs at once, and I felt considerably 
relieved when I heard him say: *I remember now seeing the 
young man you speak of pass here, but he didn't stop and 
probably has gone on to the next settlement.' 'May be so,* 
said pop, 'but you can have my nag put up. I'll wait tell 
mornin' and look aroun' a bit.' 'You murderin' old villain,' 
said I, (but of course not quite loud enough for him to hear 
me), 'you can wait here until morning if you wish, but I won't, 
that's certain.' 

When the bell rang for supper, though I was hungry as a 
wolf, I didn't go down for obvious reasons. A little while 
afterwards the clerk came up to my room and asked if 
I wished for supper. 'No,' said I, 'I am a little un- 
der the weather to-day — though I believe I could worry down 
a cup of tea and a slice of toast if I could have them sent to 
my room,' and I handed him half a dollar for the waiter. 
'All right,' said the clerk, 'I'll send you up as much as I think 
a sick man ought to eat,' and he gave me a knowing wink. 
'By the by,' said I, as he started to go, 'I would like to have 

my horse at day break, as I am compelled to be at the V 

settlement as early as possible to-morrow.' 'Yes, yes, I un- 
derstand,' said he, putting his thumb to his nose and gyrating 
his fingers around it, 'pressing business to attend to for 
Blatter & Blobbs.' 'Yes,' said I, 'important, and here's 
a two and a half piece for the trouble I have giro* 



The Young Explorers. 199 

you.' 'Much obliged,' said he, and he went out but 
came back immediately. 'Oh, I forgot to tell you,' said 
he, 'that there's another gentleman stopping here, who 

instends to start for the V settlement at day-light in the 

morning, and as he carries a No. to guage double barrel shot 
gun and as you might meet with Indians on the road, perhaps 
it would be well to travel in company with him.' 'No/ said 
I, 'since I come to think of it, I shall have to go some ten or 

iifteen miles beyond the V settlement before I stop, and 

as it will be a long day's ride, I should like to start about half 
past three.' 'Yes, I understand, ' said the clerk, 'don't like to 
travel with strangers when you have a large amount of funds 
about you, but perhaps the gentleman is an acquaintance of 
yours.' 'Don't know a soul in this country,* I said, 'and you 
must be sure to call me not later than half past three.' *Nuf 
ced,' replied the clerk, 'you can depend on me,' and pulling 
down the lower lid of his left eye, he gave me a comical leer, 
and went out. Soon afterwards the waiter came up with ray 
supper, and if that gentlemanly clerk had been a regular bred 
physician, and had made a strict diagnosis of my case, he 
could not, as far as dirt and quantity was concerned, have 
prescribed more suitably for it. There was enough ham and 
eggs, beef-steak, fried chicken and hot muffins, for half-a- 
dozen ordinary invalids, but having unlimited confidence ia 
the medical knowledge of the clerk, I cleaned the platters 
before I quit. 

"Punctually at hall past three he rapped at my door. 'Time's 
up,' said he, and your horse is hitched to the rack.' I sprang 
from the bed, and in a few moments was dressed and down 
stairs.' 'Good by,' said I to the gentlemanly clerk, as I wai 
about to mount my horse. 'Good by,' he said, 'and look out 
for that double barrel shot gun, but — ' and he whispered ia 
my ear, 'I have drawn the loads — twenty -one buck shot Ir 
each barrel.' I squeezed the clerk's hand and rolled out, and 



200 The Young Explorers, 

by the time I reached V settlement, pop was 'hull down/ 

and I suppose gave up the chase, for I have never laid eyes 
on him or his vixen daughter from that day to this." 

'*A pretty good yarn," said Willie, "but I hope the next one 
you spin will have a better specimen of the sex in it. I be- 
lieve I prefer a yarn like Mr. Dobell's, without a woman in it 
at all, than one with such a vixenish muscular heroine as 
yours; and I think (pointing to UncleSeth and Cudjo, who 
were both fast asleep) our commander-in-chief and his chief 
of commissary are of the same opinion." Mr. Pitt cast a testy 
glance towards the commander-in-chief, but he said nothing, 
and soon afterwards we all '*quiled" up in our blankets, and 
**Morpheus" stole in and quietly took possession of the camp. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

Explore a part of the country on the west branch of 
Frio — Wild and broken country — Ancient manufac- 
tory OF spear and arrow heads- -Something about 
snoring and how to stop it — Cold spring — Camp at the 
head of the Frio—Indian ''art gallery'^ — Cudjo's 
yarn of the hoop snake. 

The next morning we were all up at daylight, Lawrence, 
Mr. Pitt and myself preparing for our explorina; trip, and 
Henry and Willie for the deer hunt with the Choctaws. 
About the time we had everything in readiness for a start, 
Cudjo announced breakfast, when the roll was called and all 



The Young Explorers. 201 

hands reported "present and ready for duty." '*By the by, 
boys/' said Mr. Pitt, ''I think we have slighted Cudjo greatly 
iB not inviting him to go with us on this exploring trip. I 
know he is anxious to go, particularly as Big Drunk says we 
May accidentally meet with a small party of Comanches 
among the canyons and gulches of the Frio, and if so, that 
we will probably have a decent little scrimmage with them.'* 
That chivalric individual just then had his mouth full of 
buffalo steak, but as soon as he could articulate, he said, 
"No, I tank you Mass Pitt, I'm doin' berry well here, and ef 
I wan't, I ain't gwying to leave Mass Seth here all by heself 
in camp." *'Oh, never mind me, ef you want to go," said 
Uncle Seth, "I kin take dinner with Big Drunk and I reckon 
I'll do purty well tell you git back." ''Well, den,'' said Cudjo, 
when he was headed off in his flank movement by Uncle 
Seth and compelled to fall back to his original position, "well 
den, de fac' is I don't want to go nohow — much as I kin do 
t© git along wid dese tame Injins here, widout huntin' up dem 
wile Comanche dat's all de time hankerin' after sculps — 
'blieve in my soul de ruther jerk de sculp off 'n a pusson's 
head dan put ten good Maxican dollar in dere pocket — ef 
de had a pocket to put 'em in. I like mightily to go along 
wid you," continued Cudjo, observing the look of disoppoint- 
raent Mr. Pitt had assumed for the occasion, "but de trufe is 
I doan feel berry well to-day — I've got sich a misery in my 
side worryin' wid dat mustang ob mine — but," he added, 
"wen we get back home, *ef we's so lucky, I'll go to ebery 
camp meetin' and corn shuckin' in de settlement wid you if 
you wants me." 

Before leaving, Uncle Seth advised us not to go more than 
ten or twelve miles from camp, ''for,' said he, "you'll not 
have much time to spare twixt now and sun down, arter you 
hare travelled that fur and back agin — Big Drunk says, it's 
a mighty rough road the way you aregoin' — and mind boys,'* 



202 The Young Explorey^s. 

he added for a final piece of advice he never failed to give 
us when leaving camp, ''always keep one eye open for "Mr. 
John" — when you least suspect he's around, the varmint is 
thar waitin' fur your sculps." "Or, in the words of the poet," 
said Mr. Pitt, ''Eternal vigilance is the price of sculps." 

We had not gone more than a mile above the junction of 
the two streams when we were convinced Big Drunk had not 
exaggerated the difficulties of the route, and that it would 
have been utterly impracticable for men on horseback. In- 
deed it was often only by the most strenuous and fatiguing 
efforts that we could scramble over the huge boulders that 
frequently blocked up the way, and up and down the precipi- 
tuous banks of ihe numerous gulches that intersected the 
main canyon. 

But, although we saw some wild and picturesque scenery 
and game in abundance on the route, nothing in the way of 
adventure occurred to us, and after we had tramped up and 
down gulches, and over rocks and fallen timber, for about 
ten miles we had enough of it, and returned to camp. 

We arrived at camp a little after sun set completely 
''frazzled out" with our tramp of twenty miles. A walk of 
forty miles on a smooth road would not have fatigued us more. 
Uncle Seth had begun to get uneasy about us, and was evi- 
dently much relieved when we made our appearance. He 
did not like these independent expeditions anyhow, as he 
considered himself responsible for our safety, and consequent- 
ly preferred having us always under his own eye. 

Cudjo had sup[jer ready when we came in, and whilst we 
were discussing it, Henry and Willie gave us an account of 
their deer hunt. It had been quite a successful one, for they 
had killed altogether seventeen deer, of which our party were 
allotted five as our share of the spoils. These had beea 
butchered and cut up into small pieces, which were being 
'jerked" on low scaffolds with slow fires burning under them. 



The Young Explorers. 203 

The meat prepared in this way was intended for our future 
provision when we entered upon the great plains beyond the 
head of the Frio, through which our route lay for several 
day's travel, and where game of all kinds Big Drunk told us 
was exceedingly scarce. *'I think you must feel some better, 
Cudjo," said Mr. Pitt to that trenchant warrior, as he was 
shoveling in the grub deliberately but effectively. '*Yes, 
tank de Lawd, Mass Pitt, I'se purty well dis ebenin, — me and 
and Mass Seth has had a bully time to-day — nufifin, to do but 
sleep and plenty to eat, and ef dat don't cure a pusson of 
any sort of sickness he might thess as well say he prayers." 
''I believe, after all," said Lawrence, wrapping himself up in 
his blanket, and stretching himself out comfortably before 
the fire, "I believe after all Cudjo is more than half right in 
giving the preponderance to 'grub' and sleep over all other 
sublunary blessings. We saw some wild and picturesque 
scenery to-day, but we have paid pretty dearly for the sights. 
I feel as stiff and as sore as if I had just returned from an 
Irish wake, and I wouldn't get up now to see the Simplon 
Pass or Mount Vesuvius in a state of eruption." "You'se 
right bout dat," said Cudjo, who seemed to have got in some 
way a shadowy conception of Lawrence's meaning, dar ain't 
no sense in trampoosing ober gullies and rocks huntin' fur 
you dunno what, and runnin' de risk of gitten snake bit, 
ifvhen a feller has a chance to quile heself up in he blanket 
and be easy and comfertible." And I suppose by way of 
showing that he practiced what he preached, Cudjo drew his 
martial cloak about him, stretcheti himself before the fire 
(head on of course) and in less than five minutes he was fast 
asleep. In a little while he began to snore, and Uncle Seth 
who was lying nearest to him gave him a poke now and then 
in the ribs with a stick to stop his nasal music, or at any rate 
to make him change the tune. "It does beat all natur'," said 
he testily, ''the way that nigger saws gourds. You can fix 



204 The Young Explorers. 

him in any way you please, on his back, on his side, or 
turned bottom upwards and it's all the same. I'd think may 
be so it was owin' to that nose of his'n, that looks like a dor- 
ment winder, only IVe knowed some white folks that snored 
worse'n Cudjo. It's quare,'' continued Uncle Seth, "and I 
can't onderstand it adzactly, how snorin' should rasp on my 
narves morn'n any other noise, but it's so. The meowing of 
tom cats, the squallin' of spilt childern, the roarin' of big 
guns, the squeakin', of fifes nor the beatin' of drums don't 
keep me wake long, but jess let a feller begin sawin' gourds 
in hearin', and there's no sleep fur me as long as he keeps it 
up, specially ef he does his work onreglar, as they do in gine- 
ral, beginnin' mity slow but gittin' faster and faster tell they 
breaks off with a snort. But you needn't think they've quit 
fur good, it's only to catch their breath, and purty soon they 
commences slow agin, gittin' faster and faster, tell pop, there's 
another snort, and so they'll keep it up tell a feller feels as if 
he had the seven year eatch and his narves are all in a twitter. 
They've got horsepittels fur deaf folks," continued Uncle 
Seth, "and fur blind folks but a big one is needed wuss'n all 
fur your everlastin' snorers. Ef I had my way, I'd bild one 
with walls six feet thick and I'd put every snorer in the coun- 
try inside of it, and keep 'em there tell they was cured, ef 
the cussed thing could be cured. Tain't reasonable they 
should be allowed to go about snorin' people that never did 
'era any harm into fits. Many's the night I've got up at tav- 
erns and other places where I've been stoppin' and gone out 
and slept under a tree, fur no reason in the 'varsal world but" 
becase they had put one of these gourd sawyers in the room 
with me. I'd ruther crawl into a holler log (ef the weather 
was bad) and take the chances with the snakes and santafees, 
than stay in a room where one of these snorers is at work." 
"Yes," said I, "Uncle Seth, I agree with you fully in all you 
have s^id about them, but they don't trouble me as much 



The Young Explorers. 205 

now as they did before I learnt how to stop 'em.'^ *'Larnt 
how to stop 'em?" said Uncle Seth eagerly and raising him- 
self up on his elbow, "you don't say you know how to do 
that?" "Yes," said I, "I accidentally learnt how to stop 
them — at least long enough to give one a chance to go to 
sleep." ''Well," said Uncle Seth, "I'll agree to gin you the 
very best Spanish pony on my ranch ef you will only larn me 
the trick." "AH right," said I, "and as practice is better than 
theorizing, I will experiment on Cudjo, and you can watch 
the operation," Just then Cudjo was about half way from 
the beginning of a snore to the ending snort. Stepping up 
to where he was making night hideous with his nasal trom- 
bone, I grasped it gently but firmly between my forefinger 
and thumb, and pressed it so closely as to obstruct his breath- 
ing entirely so long as he kept his mouth shut. Cudjo swelled 
and puffed himself up like a frog when a snake is trying to 
swallow it, and after several ineffectual efforts to draw his 
breath, his mouth flew open suddenly with a gasp, and rais- 
ing himself partially, he looked around for a moment in a 
sort of semi-conscious way and then was asleep again as soon 
as his head struck the ground — but his snoring ceased. 
''Well, well, but that does beat all human natur," said Uncle 
Seth, laughing till the tears ran down his cheeks, "and I 
wouldn't take twenty ginerwine Maxican dollars fur the trick. 
Ef it works so well on Cudjo, I know it will on white folks, 
fur it's a purty differkilt thing to git a good grip on that nose 
of his'n, and saying this Uncle Seth wrapped his blanket 
around him and in five minutes was fast asleep and snoring 
loudly himself — so prone is poor inconsistent human nature 
to censure others for the very things we are guilty of our- 
selves. The old story and over again, the huge beam in our 
own eyes and the diminutive motes in the eyes of our neigh- 
bors. Many things perhaps as Uncle Seth says, "do beat all 
human natur," but in this particular "human natur" can't be 



206 The Young Explorers. 

be beat by anything. Whilst I was thus moralizing (a very 
unusual thing for me as the reader no doubt has observed) 
my eyelids gradually grew too heavy to be held up, surround- 
ing objects became more and more indistinct, and in a little 
while I was sound asleep, and in all probability, busily en- 
gaged in sawing gourds myself. 

Before the sun had fairly risen the next morning, we had 
mounted our horses and were en route again, Big Drunk 
and his warriors, as usual, leading the van. The canon of the 
western branch of the Frio, we found to be very similar to 
that of the eastern branch, except that there was a trail along 
the former which could be traveled by men on horseback. 

About noon, we halted to rest for a few moments at the 
coldest spring I have ever seen in Texas. It ran out of a 
small cave at the foot of a high precipitous wall or rock, and 
into a stone basin on the edge of the trail, from which we 
could readily dip up the water with our tin cups. The water 
from this spring was so cold that it made the teeth ache. 
Near it there is a singular cliff composed mainly of soft friable 
rock of a red color, from which pieces had been chipped off 
by the Indians to paint themselves when going on their war 
and plundering expeditions — at least, so Big Drunk informed 
me, and during my short acquaintance with that respectable 
"a-bor-i-gine" I found him to be in every way a reliable 
gentleman. While we were at this spring two of Big Drunk's 
warriors had a violent altercation about something I know- 
not what, as they spoke in their own language. At one time 
I thought they were "going for" each other with their toma- 
hawks, but Big Drunk came up and quickly put an end to 
the row. However, I believe that Indians rarely if ever re- 
sort to the "duello'' to settle theij* difficulties, nor do they 
ever commit suicide; neither do they ever curse and swear, 
unless they use the oaths taught them by white people, as they 
have no words for them in their own language. 



The Young Explorers. 207 

The canon grew mo*e and more contracted and tortuous 
and our trail more obstructed by rocks and debris from the 
cliffs as we approached the source of the Frio, and in conse- 
quence we made but slow progress. The sun was nearly set- 
ting when we reached tfee springs — the extreme head of the 
Rio Frio. There were half a dozen or more of them — fine 
bold springs bursting out at the foot of a ledge of rocks. The 
face of this ledge was as smooth and even for the space of 
fifty or sixty yards as a wall of hewn stone, and upon it, the 
Indians had painted many grotesque figures of nondescript 
animals as well as those of buffalo, bear, deer, etc. Some of 
the latter though rudely, were very correctly drawn. A rep- 
resentation of a fight between Indians and white men occu- 
pied a conspicuous place in this aboriginal "art gallery." Of 
course, the Indians were the victors, as was apparent from 
the fact that the whites were represented in a very demoral- 
ized condition. Some running, pursued by "braves" with 
uplifted tomahawks in their hands, and others lying dead or 
wounded upon the ground. One white man was depicted 
upon his knees with his hands raised in an imploring attitude, 
as if begging for quarter from a warrior who stood over him 
with a tomahawk. '-Well, now don't that beat all natur?" 
said Uncle Seth as he scanned this ''chef d'ouvre" with a 
comical look of disgust on his countenance, "but ther's one 
thing sartin,^^ said he, "they never drawed that pictur of a 
fight from any of the scrimmages I've been in with 'em." 

We pitched our camp for the night near the springs on a 
small level plateau of ground barely large enough for the pur- 
pose. Our horses fared but indifferently, for the grazing was 
scant, and we were compelled to stake them with shortened 
ropes for the want of space. After the tent had been stretch- 
ed and everything made snug about camp, all hands, except 
Cudjo, took a bath in the cool, clear waters of the stream that 
flowed off from the springs. Cudjo excused himself upon the 



208 The Young Explorers. 

pretext of not having time, as he said ^e wanted to cook sup- 
per before dark, but Uncle Seth said the true reason was, 
that, like all darkies, '*he couldn't bear cold water.*' "They 
kin beat all natur," said he, "at standin' hot weather, onless 
it's a Spanish muel; but cold weather and cold water gits 'e», 
and how that is I never could rightly onderstand, fur I've 
always hearn tell that black drawed the heat more'n white. 
Ef I was a preacher and wanted to scare the darkies into the 
'straight and narrow path,' I wouldn't tell 'em that the lower 
place was a lake of burnin' fire ef it was powerful cold weath- 
er, for some on 'em would want to go there fur that very rea- 
son; but I'd tell 'em it was a bald perara kivered six feet deep 
with snow and ice, and without a stick of timber to make a 
fire or to break the cold wind off'n 'em, and I'd have 'era up 
to the mourner's bench in less'n five minutes." "You appear 
to be rather down on the darkies," said i to Uncle Seth. **No 
I ain't," said he, "I never mistreated one of 'em in all my 
life. They've many good pints; perhaps as many as white 
people would have ef they had been slavin' for masters fur 
more'n two hundred years. Considerin' every thing, it's a 
wonder they isn't a heap wuss than they is, and I hope some 
day they'll all be set free, and then we'll see how much come 
out there is in 'em. And as fur their bein' black, the Lord 
made em so, and I reckon he had a good reason fur it. I kin 
laugh at many of their ways, but I haint a bit of hard feeliii' 
agin 'em." After supper as we were all seated comfortably 
around the fire (except Cudjo, who was cleaning up the plat- 
ters) Mr. Pitt said, "I declare, boys, we have treated Cudjo 
shamefully. We have been spinning our yarns every night 
around our camp fires and nobody has called on Cudjo for 
one. I vote for a yarn from Cudjo." The motion was unan- 
imously seconded. Cudjo at that moment was busily en- 
gaged in cleaning the frying pan by the primitive method of 
heating it red hot and then pouring cold water into it. As 



The Young Explorers, 209 

soon as the hissing and spluttering attending this operation 
had ceased, Cudjo said, ''Oh, shaw! Mass Pitt, you knows 
berry well I can't tell a yarn like you and Mass Lawrence 
and Mass Seth, case you see I ain't got no book larnin', and 
you must 'scuse me dis ebenin'." "Now, that is not so, 
boys," said Willie, "for I learnt Cudjo myself to spell in Web- 
ster, a long way past Ba-ker." ''That makes no difference," 
said Mr. Pitt, "it's the rule of this camp that everybody, when 
called upon, must spin a yarn, and Cudjo has less excuse for 
not complying with it than any one else, for you can see he 
has plenty of the raw material on his head if there is none in- 
side of it." "Tell us about that 'hoop snake' " suggested 
Willie. 

Thus urged and prompted, Cudgo seated himself near 
Willie and after hemming and hawing a few times by way of 
prelude, began his yar.n of the hoop-snake, every now and then 
pausing a moment, unconsciously as it were, to give a polish- 
ing touch to a pewter plate he held in his hand. "Well, you 
see gentlewc«," said Cudjo, laying great stress on men, "I 
nebber tole dat hoop-snake yarn to ennybody ceptin' Mass 
Willie here, and he make so much fun ob it, I tink I nebber 
tell it agin. It was long ago, gentle;«<r;?, even dis nigger was 
a heap younger dan he is now, and afore de reumatiz cotch 
me in de laigs, and wen I could run like a streak ob litenin'. 
One ebenin' old Mass Rivers he say to me, 'Cudjo, you go 
<iuick and saddle up Ball fur me and fetch him roun' to de 
front gate, fur I wants to go to town right off.' Well, sirs, I 
run out to de stable, and somebody done leff de door open, 
and ole Ball gone off to de pastur. I cotch up a bridle and 
put out arter him quick as I could, fur I see Mass Rivers was 
in a mity hurry, and I hunt dat pastur all aroun' and couldn't 
fine ole Ball nowhar. But dere was one place in it whar I 
hadn't looked fur him, for de fac is, gentlew-r/?, I didn't like 
to go dar, case Uncle Siah tole me he seed a h«op-snake dar 



S3 



^ 



210 The Young Explorers. 

two er tree weeks afore dat. Well, gentle;;/^//, I just shinned 
up a tree, so I could look all aroun', and shore enuff de fust 
ting I see was dat ole hoss, jess whar he had no bizness to be, 
right at de berry place Uncle Siah tole me he seed dat hoop- 
snake. But dar wan't no use makin' a fuss about it, fur I 
knowed mity well dat Mass Rivers wouldn't talk berry polite 
to me ef I went back widout ole Ball. So I dim down de 
tree and rnake tracks fur him straight as I could go, all de 
time keepin' bofe eye open fur dat snake. Well, gemplemen^ 
I got most up to dat old hoss, and nebber see de fust ting, 
but bimeby I hear someting go whiz! whiz! jess like spinnin' 
wheel, and I look roun' and shore enuff I seed dat snake come 
rollin' arter me same as a big hoop wid his tail in he mouf. 
Gracious, I was dat bad scared at fust I couldn't run a bit, 
but wen de snake had most got up to me, and I seed he was 
pullin' on he tail so wen he let go it would come kerblink ! 
and stick he horn in me up to de hub, I lit out fur de house 
faster'n a quarter nag and ebery time 1 jump I gin a squall. 
Uncle Siah tole me wen dem hoop-snake take arter a feller,, 
de only way you can beat 'em is to dodge aroun' ebery tree 
you comes to, case, he say, dey can't turn berry fast, so I took 
right frough de thick ob de woods in dat pastur and 'dodge 
roun' ebery tree I pass, but gemplemen, ef you'll believe 
me, wen I was most to de house, I look back and dar was 
dat dratted snake wid he horn stuck fast in Cudjo's laigf. 
Hoop! Snakes! but I lit out agin, hollerin' murder ebery 
jump I give tell I got right up to de gate, were I stump my 
toe and fall down flat. So I tinks I was a goner anyhow, and 
nebber tried to git up agin but jess lay dar and keep on hol- 
lerin'. Bimeby ole Mass Rivers he hear de racket I make 
and run out to see what was de matter. 'What in thunder 
you makin' sich a fuss about?' he say to me, wen he come whar 
I was layin' on the groun'. *Oh, Mass Rivers,' I say, *poor 
Cudjo done fur at lass — de hoop-snake cotch him fass by de 



The Young Explorers. 211 

laig.' 'Snake,' he say, 'I don't see any snake.' 'Oh yes, dar 
he is,' I say, *wid his horn stuck fass in Cudjo's laig.' 'Why, 
you fool,' he say, larfin tell de tear come in he eye, 'that's 
no snake at all — that's my bridle.' I jess guile my haid 
aroun' a little and shore enuff it was de bridle; but I was dat 
bad scared I had forgot I had a bridle wid me and tink it was 
a hoop-snake follerin' me." 

"Well, what became of the snake," said Mr. Pitt, 
"Oh, I was jess goin' to tole you," said Cudjo. "Fur a long 
time I was afraid to go out dar and look fur him, but about 
tree week arterwards, as I was comin' frough de woods whar 
dat snake run me, I see a big 'simmon tree wid de leaf all 
turn yaller. 'Ki !' I say, 'what kill dat tree, and I'll jess go 
an' look,' fur I was mity sorry for see dat tree kill, case I 
cotch many fat possum out'n it, and ef you'll berlieve me, 
gemplemen when I come to it, dar was dat hoop snake hang- 
in' to it dead as a hammer. Wen I dodge aroun' dat tree he 
let slip he tail at me and druv he horn so deep in it he neb- 
ber could pull it out, and jess starve dere fur sometingto ete; 
and gemplemen, it's de Lawd's trufe, de bark done scale up 
on dat tree from pizen in he horn, clar up to de top, and 
de leaf turn yaller jess like litenin strike it." Well, arter dat 
de niggers poke heap fun at Cudjo becase he run so fass from 
de hoop — from Mass Rivers' bridle, and say he nebber see no 
hoop snake nohow, but I jess leff 'em talk and didn't pay no 
'tention to 'em. But one night I went wid Liza Jane (dat's 
my wife now) to a corn shuckin' at ole Mass Tompkins*, and 
dat feller Lera Sykes was dar, who wanted to cut me out wid 
Liza Jane powerful bad, only he couldn't quite come it. 
Well, arter de shuckin' was ober ole Mass Tompkins gin us a 
fust rate supper, and jess as I was helpin' Liza Jane to de fat 
hine laig of a possom and some sweet mertaters, long come 
dat feller Sykes and he say, 'Look out Cudjo, I tink I see hoop 
snake rollin' dis way, but maybe so it's nuthin but a bridle.' 



212 The Young Explorers, 

I nebber said anything, but I look at him jess so,'* said Cud- 
jo, staring at Mr. Pitt with a most ferocious grin. "Well, jess 
as soon as I done help Liza Jane, I says to her ^please 'scuse 
me a little while fur I want to see dat feller Sykes,' and I git 
right up and foller him. I found him sneakin* roun' agin to 
de table whar Liza Jane was, and I says to him, 'Look a here, 
Sykes, you're breedin' a powerful scab on your nose ef you 
only knowed it, and the next time you say hoop snake to me 
I'll kick your shins good.' 'You will, hey! Well den, hoop 
snake,' says he, and he sorter squared himself up to me. Wid 
dat I hit him a pop on he snout and den we clinch, and de 
way de wool fly was a caution. At lass I gin him a trip and 
frowed him flat on de groun', but he was on top, case you see 
he was lighter dan I was. Well, sirs, I was jess layin' dur un- 
der him and he was mashin* up he fists on my haid tell I act- 
erly begun to feel sorry fur the feller, and was most ready to 
holler nuff, when Liza Jane come up and hit Sykes right on 
he shin wid a hoe handle, and he quile up same as a tousand 
laig wurrum wen you poke him wid a stick. Before dat time 
I wan*t adzactly sartin which one Liza Jane like most, me er 
Sykes, but arter dat I knowed mity well it was me, case you 
see it don't stand to reason dat a womun will leave a plate 
full ob fat possum and sweet mertaters tofite fur a feller less'n 
she likes him; and dat, gemplemen, wind up de ball ob yarn." 
"Why, Cudjo," said Mr. Pitt, ''you can beat Baron Mun- 
chausen at spinning a yarn, it's the best one Fve heard yet, 
and that's saying a good deal for it, for I have told several 
myself." Cudjo was evidently much gratified by Mr. Pitt's 
praise, but I have my doubts as to its being entirely disinter- 
ested, for he added immediately afterwards, "Cudjo, you 
mustn't forget to grease my boots again to-night." "Cudjo's 
yarn had but one fault," said I, "it was too soon ended.'' 



CHAPTER XV. 

On the trail again — Uncle Seth's yarn — Indian sign — 
Big Drunk sends out spies, who discover a Comanche 

CAMP — CuDJO taken BAD WHEN HE LEARNS THAT A FIGHT 

IS A'j' HAND — Preparing for the scrimmage. 

The next morning we were on the road as soon as it was 
light enough for us to travel. Our horses had fared badly, 
and we were anxious to get to some locality, with as little de- 
lay as possible, that would afford them better grazing. From 
our camp at the springs, the trail ascended a steep, high 
ridge, and when we reached the summit, we found ourselves 
on the border of the great plains that stretched away to the 
west as far as our sight extended. Towards the south and 
east we could see the misty outlines of the range of high 
hills in which many of the streams of Western Texas take 
their rise. The trail from the springs bore nearly due north, 
and though apparently it was all a high level plateau in that 
direction, we found as we proceeded that the surface was cut 
up by numerous gulches and hillocks, clothed in some places 
with thorny chapparal bushes and scattered tufts of coarse 
grass, and in others merely with a debris of broken rocks It 
was as wild and desolate a scene as could be imagined. Not 
an animal was visible, not a bird, nor, in fact, any living 
thing in this desert region, except now and then a horned 
frog darting across the trail, or a rattlesnake coiled up and 
basking in the sun, and too lazy even to spring his rattles as 
we passed by. Not a sound was audible at any time, except 
the monotonous tramp, tramp of our horses as their iron- 
shod hoofs came in contact with the stony soil. In all the 
distance we traveled during the forenoon, we saw no place 



214 The Young Explorers. 

where it appeared possible for a man on horseback to have 
gone fifty yards from the trail we were following. Towards 
noon we began to suffer considerably from thirst, for the day 
was the warmest we had experienced on the route, and there 
was not a cloud in the heavens to shield us from the scorch- 
ing rays of the sun. Shortly afterwards we noticed a ''signal 
smoke" rising up a long way to the west. It rose up in a 
perpendicular column to a considerable height, spreading 
out at the top like an umbrella, and after remaining station- 
ary for a few moments, it suddenly collapsed and vanished 
from view. Presently another and another made their ap- 
pearance in different directions, until no less than three of 
them were in sight at the same time. *'The Injins know we 
are about," said Uncle Seth to me. "They are arter some 
devilment, certin, — and there must be a good many of ^era, 
too," he added, *'fur where you see one of them smokes, 
there's a party of the varmints clost by.'' "And how 
do they make those smokes?" I asked. *'Well, I can't say 
adzactly," replied Uncle Seth. "Bill Short, who was tuck 
prisoner by the Comanches when he was a lad, and lived 
with 'em a long time, says they make them smokes by heap- 
in' wet and dry grass in a pile and wrappin' a green hide 
around it afore they sets it on fire. This may be so, but I 
never could find the place where they had made the smoke, 
though I've searched fur 'em often; and how they kin make 
the smoke go straight up in the a'r when the wind is blowin' 
hard, is soraethin' I can't rightly understand. They's curi- 
ous things certin." 

About four o'clock in the afternoon, we came to a little 
muddy pool of water, on the edge of a thick chapparal, and 
as Big Drunk said it was the only water we would find for 
more than twenty miles, it was thought best to stop and en- 
camp for the night. Big Drunk had noticed the signal 
smokes and other signs of the proximity of Comanches, and 



The Young Explorers. 215 

suggested that we should pitch our camps together and post 
a strong guard around them, which was done. After our 
horses had been staked out on the scanty grass in the vicin- 
ity of the water, or more properly speaking, of the mud hole, 
and supper over, Henry was placed on guard, and the bal- 
ance of us stretched ourselves on our blankets before the 
fire. "It's to soon to turn in yet, said Willie, and I think 
Uncle Seth might do something for the entertainment of the 
crowd, especially as I see he has go his pipe in full blast." 
^'All but the blast," said Uncle Seth, sucking the stem vainly 
for a little smoke, " 'pears to me this dratted stem is always 
choked up" — and no wonder, for Willie generally kept it 
plugged. At length, however, with the aid of a spear of 
grass the plug was forced out, and after puffing a while medi- 
tatively. Uncle Seth said : " Did I ever tell you about the 
way my old compadre Joe Darter got himself into a tight 
place bertwixt a bufferlo bull and a bar ? " "No," said Wil- 
lie, "tell us about it." "Well, you see," said Uncle Seth, 
'"not very long ago me and Joe Darter was coming in from a 
scout arter Injins, on the headwaters of the Sandies. There 
was thirty-five on us in the company, but all except Joe and 
me was ffom Bearstrack, and we wanted to go to Austing. So 
we left the company when we was about seventy miles from 
there and struck out by ourselves. Somehow 'bout that time 
game of all sorts was mity scace in the country we had to 
travel over, and fur two days we didn't kill a thing, and in 
course we got powerful hongry, as we had nothin' to eat but 
what we could git with our guns. The mornin' of the third 
day arter we had left the company, I says to Joe 'this sort of 
thing ain't going to do at all. Meat we must have afore we 
camp, fur my stomick feels like a empty haversack. So keep 
your eye skinned and let's make sartain of the fust thing we 
see.' Joe said he was agreeable, and we traveled on, keep- 
ing a sharp look out fur deer or any animule big enough to 



216 The Young Explorers. 

make a dinner on. Nigh the middle of the day, jest as we 
was about goin' out of some timber into a little perara, I seed 
an ole bufferlo bull feedin' by himself in the open. 'Stop/ 
says I, 'Joe, yander's meat and we must have it. Ole bull 
aint the best the market affords, but there's plenty of it sich 
as it is, and I goes in now fur quantity more'n fur quality," 
says I. There was a small clump of chapparal in about 
seventy yards of the ole bull, and as Joe toted a heavy rifle, 
and was a fust-rate shot, I told him ef he would crawl out to 
them bushes and gin him a pop, I would be all ready jest as 
soon as I hearn his gun fire to run out and help him finish 
him, perviden he didn't up him. *A11 right,' says Joe, and so- 
we crept to the edge of the timber, whar I stopped, and Joe 
crawled on his hands and knees towards the bushes, snakin* 
his gun arter him as he went. As soon as he got to the 
bushes he raised up and took a pop at the ole bull. I seed 
at once he was struck, but not very hard, and the minit the 
gun fired, the ole bull made a rush for the smoke and at the 
same time I riz and put out to help Joe, as fast as my legs 
could carry me, while Joe made tracks fur me. It was nip 
and tuck fur a spell bertwixt Joe and the ole bull, but purty 
quick the bull come up with him, and jest as he was leveling 
his head to gin Joe a hist with his horns, all at once Joe 
pitched headforemost into a hole in the ground. The bull 
stopped short, wonderin' I 'spose what had become of Joe, 
when in less'n a minit out he popped agin right under the 
nose of the bufferlo. He drapped his head to gin Joe a rake 
with his short stubby horns, but jest then I up and fired a 
chance shot at him, and as good luck would have it, I 
drapped him as dead as a hammer. Joe stopped as soon as 
he seed the bull fall, and stood there pantin' and blowin' like 
a deer hound arter a long chase. I felt mad with the feller 
fur not stayin' in that hole arter he got in it, fur if I hadn't 
accerdentally killed the bufferlo, it would have beengood-by 



The Young Explorers. 217 

Joe, certin; so when I got up to where he was, I says to him 
ruther pettishly: 'Why in thunder, Joe, didn't you stay in 
that hole, arter you had hived yourself in it? You was safe 
enough there from the bufferlo/ ' O, yes !' says Joe, as soon 
as he could catch his breath, * I was safe enough from the 
bufferlo down there, but I wan't from a big bar that's at the 
bottom of that hole. I didn't stay down thar a great while 
as you seed, but anyhow I was thar long enough,' said Joe, 
* to leave the tail of my huntin' shirt in his paws, and mighty 
glad I was to git off on them terms, I kin tell you.' Joe 
looked so comical while he was tellin' me his story and 
standin' there pantin' in his bobtail huntin' shirt, that I 
laughed till I got the hiccups. ' Well, Joe,' said I at last, *I 
must own up you was in a purty tight place, with a bufferlo 
bull arter you above ground and a big bear grabbing fur you 
under it.' " 

"He was was between Scylla and Charybdis,'' said Mr. 
Pitt. 

''I don't know 'bout that, said Uncle Seth, but he had 
jumped out'n the frying pan into the fire, certin. Howsom- 
ever, Joe got even with the bar, fur we smoked him out'n his 
hole and shot him, and instead of tough old bull, we toated 
as much fat bar meat into camp that night as we could stag- 
ger under." 

As soon as Uncle Seth had finished his yarn, he slowly ex- 
tracted his big bullseye silver watch from his fob, and glanc- 
ing at its face by the light of the fire, he said, "It's nigh on to 
ten o'clock, boys, and we'd better turn in, fur we've got to 
make an airly start in the mornin'," and by way of setting 
us an example, he wrapped his blanket about him and was 
soon in the land of Nod. We all followed suit, and slept 
soundly till daylight. 

Before sunrise the next morning, we were mounted and off 
again on the trail. Several times during the day we saw 



218 The Young Explorers. 

''signal smokes" rise up in the distance, and once where a 
trail intersected the one we were traveling, we observed that 
it had been recently passed over by a considerable number 
of unshod horses and mules. We pushed on as rapidly as 
the roughness of the trail would permit, and about three 
o'clock in the afternoon (by Uncle Seth's buUseye) we de- 
scended from the elevated mesa into a small valley, if it 
might be so called, for it did not comprise within its limits 
more than fifty acres of ground. Scattered about its surface 
were several little groves of pecan, elm and hackberry trees 
(the first we had seen since leaving the head of the Frio), 
and everywhere it was covered with a luxuriant growth of 
mesquite grass, which no doubt was a pleasant sight to our 
horses after the scanty rations they had had for the last 
twenty-four hours, for they pricked up their ears and whick- 
ered, evidently in joyful anticipation of the treat in store for 
them. The little valley, with its green grass and shady 
groves, looked like an emerald set in the desert waste around. 
But where was the water with which to slake our burning 
thirst? Not a brook or streamlet was visible anvwhere. The 
question was soon answered satisfactorily, however, for our 
trail suddenly debouched upon the precipitous bank of a 
deep pool near the center of the valley, probably formed by 
the sinking of the earth at that point by the undermining ac- 
tion of a subterranean stream. The bank, or rather the sides 
of this pool, were almost perpendicular, and the water, whick 
looked cool and inviting below, was only accessible at one 
place to men and animals. The pool was in the shape of a 
semi-circle, and within the concave side, under some elm 
and hackberry trees, we pitched our camps, and as soon as 
we had unsaddled and staked our amimals, every one hurried 
down to the water to quench the thirst we had been enduring 
for some hours past. We found the water excellent. Cool 
and clear, but with a slight chalybeate taste by no means dis- 



The Young Explorers. 219 

agreeable. The pool seemed to be of very great depth, and 
was swarming with fish of various kinds. Willie and I de- 
termined to have a mess of them, but as matters turned out 
*'we had other fish to fry'' as long as we remained in the vi- 
cinity. Returning to camp, we found Uncle Seth and Big 
Drunk seated on a log in front of our tent, holding a "con- 
fab" as to the prospectl^f a little "scrimmage" with the Co- 
manches. From the "sign" they had seen on the way, they 
both had come to the conclusion that there was quite a large 
party of Comanches somewhere near by, and that it was 
probable they would attack us before we left the pool. "I 
no like so much 'smoke' and track on the road," said Big 
Drunk. "Dem lascal Comanche want scalp purty bad." ''I 
think so too," replied Uncle Seth, "but we've got a mighty 
good camp here, and I reckon we kin thrash 'em easy ef they 
should come." "Yes," said Big Drunk, "I tink dem boy you 
got fite belly well, and Choctaw whip Comanche ebery 

time." 

It was still several hours to sunset, and it was finally de- 
termined to send several of Big Drunk's warriors ahead on 
the trail to see what discoveries they could make, and in the 
meantime that we should go to work and fortify our position, 
though in fact very little was necessary to be done to render 
it impregnable against any force the Indians were likely to 
have. Not more than two hours had elapsed after the de- 
parture of Big Drunk's spies, when they came galloping back, 
and riding up to Big Drunk, whose camp was but a few yards 
from ours, we heard them talking to him in an excited man- 
ner. *'Them chaps have seed somethin', certin," said Uncle 
Seth, "and I'll step over and lam the news." In a little 
while Uncle Seth came back, and told us Big Drunk's spies 
had reported that they had seen from the top of a high ridge 
a large Comanche camp in a little valley similar to the one 



220 The Young Explorers 

in which we were, and from the stir and bustle in camp they 
were satisfied the Comanches were preparing to leave it. 

The spies believed they were getting ready to attack us 
that night, or early the next morning, "and," added Uncle 
Seth, "that's my notion too, and the sooner we fix for 'em, 
the better. They won't catch us nappin,' anyhow. We 
couldn't have a safer place to camp if we had the pick of the 
whole country. WeVe got the water hole on three sides, and 
thick chapparal on the other, and we can soon fix that so a 
hundred Comanches couldn't rout us out tell our rations was 
gone, and anything but a small crowd of 'em would have to 
leave to hunt up grub fur themselves afore they could starve 
us out. But what's gone with Cudjo," added Uncle Seth, 
looking around for that "cullud pusson," "I don't see him no 
whar about." That redoubtable warrior had been listening 
for some time to what Uncle Seth was saying, and after hear- 
ing enough to satisfy himself that a fight would probably 
come off pretty soon, had quietly retired, wrapped his blanket 
around him and laid down by the fire. " Hello ! Cudjo," 
said Uncle Seth, when he espied him, covered up head and 
all in his blanket, "roll out'n that quick, and git your shootin* 
irons, fur I think we'll have the genteelest little scrimmage 
turectly that you ever seed, and I depend on you pertickler 
to rake the Comanches with that blunderbuss of yourn." 

" Deed, Mass Seth," said Cudjo, with his teeth chattering 
like a monkey's, "You must 'scuse me a little bit tell I gits 
ober dis bad spell. I've such a misery in my back you can't 
tink, and de rumatiz done cotch me agin in de laig, and dat 
ole jaw tooth dats done nothin' but ake ebber sence we lefF 
home (I wish I'd staid dar), is fittin' to jump out'n my mouf." 
**Well, you are bad off," said Uncle Seth, looking rather 
contemptuously at him; "You are bad off, it's a fact,?_but I 
think, Cudjo, it's your stomick that's out'n order. You 
haven't a bit of appetite for fitin'.' 



,» >» 



The Young Explorers. 221 

In a little while Big Drunk came over to our tent, and he 
and Uncle Seth had another palaver as to the best course to 
pursue under the circumstances. Neither had hardly a 
doubt that the Comanches intended making an attack on us, 
and they concluded it would be prudent to fortify our posi- 
tion as well as we could before night set in, and quietly wait 
for them to take the initiative. It required but little work to 
render our camp almost impregnable, for, as I have said be- 
fore, we had the steep banks of the water hole on three sides, 
and the other was nearly as well protected by a strip of 
thorny chapparal bushes. There were two or three small 
open places in this chapparal, by which the little prairie 
where we were encamped could be entered, and these, with 
the exception of the largest, we filled up compactly with 
thorny bushes and shrubs, which we cut down with our 
butcher knives and tomahawks. "That's all right," said Un- 
cle Seth, when we had completed the work to his satisfaction, 
*'and if the Comanches git through this chapparal they won't 
have much in the way of breeches, or ruther hide, left on 'em 
when they do. Howsomever," he added, "though they can't 
git at us on the sides next the water hole, they kin shoot 
across it, and we must fix some way to pertect ourselves from 
the bullets and arrers that may come from that quarter." 
Fortunately, there was an abundance of loose stones, fallen 
timber, etc., in the vicinity, and with such materi*als we soon 
constructed a breastwork facing the main opening through 
the strip of chapparal, and of sufficient length to enable our 
whole party to take shelter behind it, whenever it might be 
necessary to do so. 

Before we had entirely completed our fortifications, Cudjo 
recovered to some extent from the numerous ills with which 
he had been afflicted, and assisted us in the work, but I don't 
think he labored as cheerfully as he would have done at a 
^'corn shucking" or 'Mog rolling." "'Fore gracious, Mass 



222 The Young Explorers. 

Jack," said he to me, whilst helping me to carry a stick of 
timber to the breastwork, " 'Fore gracious, I don't see any 
sense in rampagin' all ober dis wile country, fitin' Mexican 
hog, lion and Injuns, when we could stay at home safe and 
comfortible. It's jess a temptin' of de Lord, dat's what it is." 
"Yes, Cudjo," said I, "it's true we could stay at home and 
be comfortable and all that, but then, you see, if you had 
staid at home you would not be, as you are now, one of a 
band of adventurous explorers, a kind of "cullud" Columbus 
on a journey of discovery, and you must remember that you 
will be amply compensated in the end, for your perils and 
privations, by the consciousness that you have done your 
share towards the exploration of this mundane sphere." 
"May be so," replied Cudjo, who really seemed to have a 
dim idea of what I was driving at, notwithstanding the high- 
flown language I used, "May be so, but what good all dat 
goin' to do Cudjo when he dead and gone, and he sculp 
hangin' up in de Injens camp? Dat's de question." "Why, 
Cudjo," said I, evading his direct query, which I was afraid 
I could not answer satisfactorily, "don't you remember that 
your Mass Lawrence called the high, flat peak we passed the 
other day, *Cudjo's Knob,* because he said it looked like 
your head, and that he put the name on the map he is mak- 
ing ? Well, from this time on that peak will always be known 
as 'Cudjo's Knob,' and you will be immortalized for all time 
to come as the enterprising explorer in whose honor it was 
named." But Cudjo did not appear to be particularly im- 
pressed by the immortality in store for him, and if he had 
ever read Shakespeare, I have no doubt he would have quoted 
those well known words, "Who hath honor? He that was 
slain o' yesterday. Doth he feel it, hear it, see it, taste it, 
smell it? No. Then I'll none of it." But Cudjo had never 
heard of the Bard of Avon, so he only said, "I'd ruther be 
alive and fat and hearty, with plenty of vittles to eat, if every 



The Young Explorers. 223 

body was to forgit Cudjo, than be dead and gone,'and hab 
everybody remember him fur a hundred and fifty year. " 
"Well, Cudjo," said I, wishing to place matters in a hopeful 
point of view, I think it won't be long now before we turn 
our faces towards home, and I have no doubt that yon will be 
soon safe and sound in the settlements again." "I hopes so," 
replied Cudjo, with a dubious shake of the head, "I^wish.I 
was dar now. I'm gittin' mity tired trampoosin' 'bout dis 
wile country, and ob dis here hard tack and bufferlo meat. 
I'm railly sufferin' fur bacon and collards and fatty bread." 

Before night our brestworks were all completed, and Uncle 
Seth said we were then ready for the whole Comanche nation, 
if they should venture to attack us in our stronghold. We 
let our horses graze outside till nearly dark, and then brought 
them in and tied them securely. 

Our Indian allies seemed much elated at the prospect of a 
good, wholesome scrimmage. They evidently had been 
"spiling for a fight" for some time, judging from their unusual 
merriment and the alacrity with which they made prepara- 
tions for one. 

An Indian has two phases of existence in which his charac- 
ter seems radically different— his "nil admirari" state as it 
might be termed, or his interludes of peace and quiet (which 
however are generally few and far between), in which he ap- 
pears listless, unimpressionable and lacking vim or energy, 
and his normal condition of fighting or preparing for battle. 
Then he becomes another being altogether— his eyes beam 
with intelligence, his conceptions impulsive and quick, and 
kis movements correspondingly rapid and energetic. This 
may in some measure account for the fact that many Indians 
have been noted for the extraordinary military talents they 
possessed. Tecumseh, Black Hawk and Osceola for instance, 
uneducated and without any knowledge of military tactics, 
were yet able to handle large bodies of men, with skill and 



224 The Young Explorers. 

efficiency, and sometimes to more than hold their own against 
our most lamous generals. 

In loading their rifles I noticed that the Choctaws chewed 
their bullets before ramming them down, and asking one of 
them the reason for doing so, he told me that the chewed 
bullet "kill Comanche heap." No doubt they make a more 
ragged wound and one more difficult to heal, but then I sup- 
pose they cannot be thrown as accurately as the perfect ball. 
I happened to be placed on the first watch after dark, and 
was stationed in company with a Choctaw Indian behind the 
breastwork we had built in front of the entrance to our camps. 
For an hour or so after I was placed on guard it was so dark 
I was unable to see anything distinctly outside, but at the 
end of that time the moon rose up, and rendered all objects 
visible in the open ground beyond the belt of chapparal. 
The night was unusually still, and not a sound was audible 
except the restless stamping of our horses at their picket 
ropes — none whatever to indicate the proximity of a hidden 
foe. I was just coming to the conclusion that Uncle Seth 
and Big Drunk had over-rated the danger of an attack, when I 
heard a whip-poor-will utter his plaintive cry in a clump of 
bushes forty or fifty yords from where we were stationed. It 
was answered immediately by the hooting of an owl across 
the water-hole in the opposite direction, and then, as if that 
had been the signal for the full orchestra to begin, the night 
was instantly made hideous by the howling of wolves, the 
screams of wild cats and panthers and the cries and notes of 
many other animals and birds. ''Ah, hah!" said my Choctaw 
companion, ''may be so Comanche come now," and cautious- 
ly raising his head above the breastwork he gazed long and 
intently into the open ground beyond. He was apparently 
about to resume his original position, when I heard a "swish' 
and at the same instant an arrow struck a decayed piece of 
wood within a few inches of his head. ''Ugh!" exclaimed 



The Young Explorers. 325 

the Choctaw, ducking his head quickly behind the breast- 
work, "dem lascal Comanche shoot arrow purty well." I 
peeped above the breastwork, expecting to see their dusky 
forms thronging the open space in front, but not a moving 
object was visible, and nothing to indicate that a concealed 
enemy was near by except the continuous cries of animals 
and birds. 

The night wore on without any further disturbance, and at 
length the Choctaw and myself were relieved by the second 
watch. I told them to keep a good look out as the Coraan- 
ches were certainly around, and going back to camy I threw 
myself upon my blanket and was fast asleep in five minutes. 
I had slept I supposed about an hour, though in fact several 
hours had elapsed since I laid down, when I was aroused by 
Uncle Seth saying: "Come boys, git out'n this quick. It 
will soon be daylight, and if the Comanches have any igee 
of pitchin^ inter us, the row'U begin afore long. We must be 
all ready fur'em, for I want to give the varmints a lesson 
they'll remember a good while, and I thinlc we's just in trim 
to do it." All hands were up in an instant and preparing for 
the expected fray. After some palaver on the subject, it was 
determined that Uncle Seth and his party should man the 
breastwork fronting the entrance, whilst Big Drunk and his 
wairiors should occupy the one they had constructed fronting 
the water-hole. 



»4 



OHAPTEK XYI. 

COMANCHES ATTACK US— HeNRY AND CUDJO ARE SLIGHTLY 
WOUNDED — CUDJO EXHIBITS UNEXPECTED BRAVERY — OnE 
OF THE ChOCTAWS KILLED — COMANCHES FINALLY DRIVEN 

OFF — Burial of the Choctaw Camp on Llano — Re- 
turn TO Frontier Hall — Concluding Remarks. 

Silently we took our places behind the breastwork, and 
quietly waited for the expected enemy to put in an appear- 
ance. "Ef they do come, and I rather expect they will," 
said Uncle Seth, *Mon't shoot boys, tell you git good aim. 
One gun that ups a Comanche will scare 'em more than a 
dozen that don't do anything but make a noise." Hardly had 
these words been uttered by Uncle Seth, when the fearful 
war-whoop resounded from all sides, and the next moment a 
hundred dusky forms were seen bounding across the open 
space in front, pouring bullets and arrows upon our breast- 
work as they came. The instant he heard the terrible war- 
whoop, I noticed Cudjo make a dive into the adjoining chap- 
paral and disappear from sight, and that was the last we saw 
of him for some time. W^e reserved our fire until the Co- 
manches were within thirty or forty paces, when we poured 
a volley upon them from our guns and they fell back quickly, 
carrying with them several who had either been killed or 
wounded. 

"That's the way to sarve *em, boys," said Uncle Seth, who 
was highly delighted by the steadiness we had shown under 
fire, "but they'll try it agin shore, so load as fast as you kin." 
We made all the haste we could to prepare ourselves for 
another charge, and yet we had not a minute to spare, for 
quickly rallying their forces, with a wild yell more terrible 



The Young Explorers, 227 

than anything I had ever heard, they rushed again upon our 
breastwork. But when at close quarters we again received 
them with such a rapid discharge from our guns that their 
advance was checked, and they fell back to the cover of the 
chapparal. In this charge some of the foremost Indians 
came within a few yards of our position, so near in fact that 
we used our pistols with effect, after discharging our guns. 
In this attack we had satisfactory evidence of the superiority 
of the double barrel shot-gun over the rifle for repelling b 
charge. The rifle even when in the hands of one not subject 
to the "buck ager," and aimed with accuracy, can only take 
effect upon a single object, but when sixty "blue whistlers'^ 
are "let drive" upon a crowd (thirty in each barrel) the fur 
will fly from perhaps half a dozen. 

One Indian fell dead so close to our breastwork that the 
others did not attempt to carry him off when they retreated. 
After falling back the second time, the Indians still contin- 
ued to fire upon us from ''long taw," to which we made no 
'return, except occasionally when one showed himself in the 
open ground. All this time a heavy firing was kept up by a 
large body of Comanches on the opposite side of the water 
hole, to which our Choctaws were not slow to respond from 
behind their breastwork. Occasionally a ball or an arrow 
from that quarter would strike in our midst, and after Henry 
had been slightly wounded, and several of our horses more or 
less injured, we concluded, if possible, during a short lull in 
the "bombardment." to erect some kind of a barrier as a 
protection from this cross-fire. But what to make it of was 
the question, as we had used up all the material available 
for our breast-works. "Git your blankets," said Uncle Seth, 
"and we'll see what we can do with them." The blankets 
were quickly collected, and then Uncle Seth ordered us to 
cut down half a dozen sapplings for forks, and as many more 
for poles. This we soon did with our tomahawks, for men 



228 The Young Explorers. 

work rapidly wh^n bullets and arrows are whizzing about 
their ears. The forks were driven into the ground in the rear 
of our breastworks, and poles laid across them, on which 
Uncle Seth directed us to hang our blankets (doubled], in 
such a way that they nearly, but not quite, reached the 
ground. "It don't look reasonable," said Uncle Seth, "but 
it ain't often that a bullet or an arrow will go through a dou- 
ble blanket when they hang loose in that way. I've seed it 
tried more'n once." And so it proved, for but itw bullets 
penetrated the blankets we hung up, and when they did their 
force was so far spent they could not inflict a serious wound. 
But they could now and th^n penetrate it, and bruise tremen- 
duously, I can safely assert, for I had scarcely got mine in 
position when a bullet came through it, striking me full on 
the nose, and for a week afterwards, in place of my ordinary 
Roman snout, I sported one as flat as a Guinea nigger's. 

Just as we had fixed up our blanket bomb-proof, we were 
startled by a yell in the chapparal a few paces distant, and 
the next moment Cudjo came rushing out, and running up to 
the breastwork he threw himself on the ground, exclaiming, 
"Oh, Lawd, Mass Pitt, dey's done kill Cudjo at lass — shot 
him troo and troo wid dere arrer." Several of us ran to 
Cudjo and lifted him up, and sure enough, we found that a 
bullet had gone through the calf of his leg, inflicting what 
could not well be termed a flesh wound, for there was pre- 
cious little of that commodity where the calves of his le2;s 
should have been, and yet truly could not be called anything 
else, as we ascertained the bone was entirely uninjured. Mr. 
Pitt, in whom Cudjo had unbounded confidence, and who 
officiated as surgeon on the occasion, wrapped up the wound 
with a handkerchief, and assured him that it was a slight one, 
and that he would be well in less than a week. 

As soon as Cudjo was satisfied that he had not been shot 
**troo and troo," and that there was no danger of his dying 



The Young Explorers, 229 

immediately, a wonderful change appeared to come overhira. 
"Make haste," said he to Mr. Pitt who had not quite finished 
bandaging his wound, "make haste, Mass Pitt, fur I tell you 
I'ze gwying to fite dese Comanches now, sartin. Dey no biz- 
ness to shoot Cudjo fur he wan't troublin' none of 'em (which 
was the fact); I was jess layin' in de bushes behind er ole log, 
when zip! a bullet come from de oder way and go clean troo 
my laig, and now," said he, getting up and seizing his blun- 
derbuss, when Mr. Pitt had completed his surgical opera- 
tions, "I'm gwine to git even wid dem Injin, shore." And 
truly did Cudjo make good his words during the balance of 
the fight. A complete change seemed to have taken place in 
his character. In place of his usual timidity, he displayed 
the utmost daring and even recklessness, for wherever the 
bullets and arrows were flying thickest, we were sure to see 
him blazing away with his blunderbuss at every Comanche 
who showed his head above the chapparal. I do not think 
he did much execution; nevertheless, he made an immense 
deal of noise, for he always loaded his gun so heavily that it 
invariably kicked him over at every discharge. Each time, 
however, he would get up with renewed vigor and desperation 
saying, "he didn't mind kickin' ef deyM only let he shin 
alone.'' Our Indian allies, especially, were much astonished 
at Cudjo's unexpected display of valor, and they frequently 
cheered him when he let off his fusee (with a report like a 
small piece of ordnance) and witnessed the energy with which 
it rebounded, thinking, I suppose, if it was so dangerous be- 
hind, that the execution in front must have been proportion- 
ately great. But for my part, I strongly suspected that Cud- 
jo's bravery was simply the result of desperation or because 
he had found out that he ran no greater risk when fighting 
than he did as a non-combatant. I think Uncle Seth also 
entertained some doubts as to the genuineness of the valor 
displayed by Cudjo, for I overheard him remark on one oc- 



230 The Young Explorers, 

casion, as it were, to himself, whilst watching his feats of 
prowess, '*Well, it does beat all natur the way that nigger has 
come out'n the kinks. I didn't think it was in him, and yet, 
somehow, if we was to git into a fight to-morrow I ruther 
think he would take to the chapparal agin ef there was one 
handy." However, neither Uncle Seth nor I ever hinted our 
suspicions on this point to Cudjo or any one else, and his 
reputation as a fighting man was never impugned from that 
time. Our Indian allies were so much struck with his reck- 
less bravery, that I verily believe that if Big Drunk had been 
killed in the fight they would have tendered him the chief- 
tainship of the band. 

The Comanches made several attempts to charge our 
breastworks, but each time they were signally repulsed and 
driven back to the chapparal, from whence they kept up a 
desultory fusillade until they finally went off. It was evident 
they had abandoned all hope of routing us out of our strong- 
hold, and in fact, an hour or so after their last atttempt to 
derive us from our position, they ceased firing upon us, 
mounted their horses, and silently took up their line of march 
in the direction we had come. Just as they began to move 
off, Cudjo jumped up on the breastwork and gave them a 
farewell salute from his fusee, which, as usual, kicked him 
over. ''Now, drat you," said Cudjo, picking himself up, 
"now, I 'spec de next time folks ain't troublin' you, you'll let 
'em alone — you won't toat off many sculps from dis place, 
certin." 

When the Comanches made their last desperate charge up- 
on us. Big Drunk reinforced our party at the opening with 
ten or twelve of his warriors to aid us in its defense. One of 
them was struck with an arrow in the breast, which had been 
sent with such force that the point protruded from his back. 
One of the Choctaws ran to him, forced the arrow through, 
and drew it, shaft and all, from the wound. The instant it 



The Young Explorers. 23^ 

was extracted the blood gushed out in a copious stream, and 
the Indian expired almost immediately. This was the only 
loss sustained in the fight, but several Choctaws were slight- 
ly wounded and one of their horses killed. None of our 
party were wounded except Henry and Cudjo, and neither of 
them seriously. 

And thus ended our big fight with the Comanches, in 
which, according to Cudjo^s subsequent account of it, "we 
whip off five hunderd wile Injins, and kill 'bout fifty dade 
on de ground. *' I cannot entirely verify this statement of 
Cudjo's, for I do not think there were more than seventy or 
eighty Comanches in the party, and I saw but one dead In- 
dian. I have no doubt, however, that we killed and wound- 
ed at least a dozen, for we saw them carry off a number upon 
their pack animals when they retreated. After the excite- 
ment of the fight was over, Cudjo suffered a good deal of pain 
from his wound, but as he had his newly acquired character 
of a fighting man to sustain, he bore it with much fortitude. 
Mr. Pitt applied a prickly pear poultice to the wound, and a 
little while afterwards he "quiled'' himself up in his blanket 
and went to sleep. The next morning he was hopping 
around quite lively, and able to attend, as usual, to his culi" 
nary department. 

Not long after the Comanches had retreated, Mr. Pitt and 
Cudjo went out to take a look at the one that had been killed 
a few paces from our breastwork, and who had been left on 
the ground. This Comanche had a long cue of horse hair 
fastened behind to his own hair, on which ten or a dozen 
Mexican dollars, beaten out in thin plates, were attached at 
regular intervals by way of ornament. Cudjo seized upon 
this cue and its appendages as lawful spoils of war, and car- 
ried it back with him to the settlements, where he would ex- 
hibit it on special occasions to crowds of admirers as a sam- 
ple of many similar spoils taken from the Comanches in the 



232 The Young Explorers. 

great fight the " 'Splorers had wid *em tother side the head ob 
de Frio." 

The morning after the fight the Choctaw who had been 
killed was buried by his comrades with the ceremonies cus- 
tomary on such occasions. They dug a shallow grave just 
where he had fallen, with their tomahawks and butcher 
knives, and in this the body of the ''brave" was deposited, 
together with his rifle, shot pouch and other personal belong- 
ings. A quantity of dead leaves and grass was strewn over 
him, on which the earth was shoveled back until the excava- 
tion was filled, and a number of stones piled upon it. When 
the burial was finished the warriors walked slowly around the 
grave in a circle, singing the "death song," and a most lugu- 
brious wailing it was. ''Um!" exclaimed Cudjo, who, like the 
majority of darkies, was gifted with a good ear to music, 
"dem Ingins mity good fur fitin, but dey don't wuff a cent fur 
singin'; dat chune wouldn't do fur a camp-meetin' er a corn 
shuckin', no how." 

We remained at the water hole for several days, and until 
our wounded (men and animals) were able to travel. We 
then continued our route by easy stages to the headwaters of 
the Llano, beautiful clear little streams wateiing a pictur- 
esque and mountainous country. On one of these little streams 
we pitched our camp, in a small valley hemmed in by high 
hills, and covered with a rich growth of grass, which afforded 
excellent pasturage for our animals. Uncle Seth told us that 
Big Drunk intended to stop in that valley for a few days to 
trap beaver. ''And I reckon," said he, "we mout as well stop 
too, and you'll have a good chance to look at this section, 
which, I expect, is wuth seein', and besides," he added, ''our 
crowd is a little too small, even countin' in Cudjo, to be ram- 
pagin' 'bout this country, and I don't want to leave the Choc- 
taws till we are nigher the settlements. In the mornin' we'll 
go to work and fix up everything snug around camp so we'll 



The Young Explorer s» 233 

be safe while we are here from them dratted Comanches, 
though arter the way Cudjo sarved 'em at the water hole, I 
don't think they'll gin us another turn purty soon." 

Just after we returned to camp several of Big Drunk's war- 
riors, who had gone out hunting, came in, bringing with them 
a fat cub bear and a half dozen turkeys. They gave us about 
fifty pounds of bear meat and a large gobbler, which we turn- 
ed over to the tender mercies of Cudjo, who went to work 
upon them at once, and by sunset he had prepared a supper 
that would have satisfied the most exacting gormand. The 
turkey and bear steaks were cooked to a turn, the coffee was 
hot and strong, but the ''piece de resistance" was the roasted 
loin of the cub, served up with honey; a dish that would 
make an old frontiersman lick his chops if he had just got up 
from a table covered ''with all the delicacies of the season " 
On this particular occasion Cutljo excelled himself, but, un- 
like doctors who never take the medicines they prepare for 
others, he did full justice to his own cooking, and 'exhibited" 
to himself such a dose of tenderloin and honey that we were 
convinced he was not a believer in "homeopathic treat- 
ment.** 

"Well now, boys,'' said Willie, after Mr. Pitt had gone on 
guard, I think it is my time to furnish something for the 
entertainment of the crowd this evening Mr Pitt has 'gone 
and done it again,' " said he, drawing a paper from his 
pocket. "I found this in my shot pcuch to-day, where Mr. 
Pitt had no doubt put it by mistake, and as every thing in 
this camp is common property, if you all say so, I will read 
Mr. Pitt's verses to you " 

Everybody except Uncle Seth wished to hear them, but he 
said nothing pro nor con, though it was very evident by the 
way he drew his blanket around him, and settled his head 
upon his saddle, that he did not expect much entertainment 
from the verses, and was fixing himself comfortably for a 



234 The Young Explorer s* 

nap. In fact, as he said himself on a former occasion, he 
"didn't go high on any song ballads," in proof of which he 
was fast asleep before Willie had more than half finished 
reading "Prairie Scenes," as Mr. Pitt's verses were called: 

"Slow wheeling from the realms of light, 

The sun his broad, round disk displays, 
And stretching far beyond the sight, 

The treeless plains bask in his rays. 
The prowling wolf, with stealthy tread, 

Now seeks the canyon's rocky maze; 
-Yet often stops and turns his head, 

With cautious backward look to gaze. 

''With heads erect, and flowing manes. 

Proud in their native liberty, 
A troop of horse now sweep the plains, 

That tremble as they thunder by. 
Uncurbed by bit, and riderless. 

On, on they dash, — now halt, now fly, — 
To where the grassy wilderness 

Blends in the distance with the sky. 

"The winds are hushed, the skies are clear — 

Then, whence that deep and sullen roar, 
Such as on stormy coasts we hear, 

When breakers lash the rock-bound shore ? 
With rolling gate and frenzied haste, 

They come, they come, a thousand score. 
O'er all the wide, extended waste, 

A living sea, the bisons pour. 
Now to the left, now to the right, 

As torrents rush from Alpine snows, 
Strong and resistless in its flight. 

The surging mass still onward goes. 



The Young Explorers. '^35 

*'In vain, thou^s^h swift, the bison flees. 

With bended bow, or deadlier gun, 
Their dark locks streaming in the breeze, , 

Their war plumes dancing in the sun, — 
Upon their wild and foaming steeds, 

That hard and fast behind them press, 
Close follow, where the bison leads, 

The warriors of the wilderness. 

"But, herds and steeds, and dancing plumes, 

Soon in the distance fade away, 
And solitude again resumes 

O'er ail the boundless plains her sway; 
Save where yon eagle wings his flight, 

And rends the air with piercing scream, 
No living form now greets the sight — 

They've passed like pageants in a dream." 

I might lengthen out my story considerably by describing 
the great buffalo hunt we had with the Choctaws on the head 
waters of the Llano and San Saba; how we feasted on fat ribs, 
humps and *'marrow bones;" how we explored all that wild 
and picturesque country lying between those streams; how 
we encamped for several days at the old San Saba fort, and 
searched the hills and gulches around it closely, for some 
vestiges of that rich silver mine said to have been worked for 
many years in that vicinity, by the Spaniards— but without 
finding any trace of it; how we passed over from its head 
waters to the mouth of the stream, the beautiful valley of the 
San Saba, and how at length we parted from our Indian 
friends and allies, the Chectaws, and took our way homewards, 
to the great joy of Cudjo, who longed to get back once more 
to the corn shuckings and camp-meetings of the settlements. 
But all this would be necessarily to a considerable extent, a 
mere repitition of what has already been told. 



^36 The Young Explorers. 

Our Indian friends were very sorry to part with us, partic- 
alarly with Cudjo, who had risen vastly in their estimation 
since oar fight with the Comanches. Big Drunk told him 
when he bid him good-bye, that if he would go with him to 
his village, he would give him "plenty land and tree wife." 
"I much 'bliged to you, Mass Big Drunk," said Cudjo, "I like 
mity well to hab some land fur taters en peas en watermil- 
lions, but I got one wife now and dat's more'n I kin see to.'' 
Nearly all the Choctaws gave him some little present when 
they parted from him, and he had his own horse and the pack 
mule pretty well loaded with moccasins, powder horns, shot 
pouches, beaver skins, etc. 

In about a week after separating from our Choctaws, and 
after several narrow escapes from Comanche war parties, we 
reached Frontier Hall safely, to the great joy of Col. and Mrs. 
Rivers. 

As my young friends may wish to know the subsequent fate 
of those mentioned in this true story of the exploring expedi- 
tion, I will briefly state all I know about them at this day. 
Mr. Pitt not long after our return died prematurely whilst on 
a visit to his native State — Kentucky — a victim to the hered- 
itary enemy of his family, consumption. Two years ago, I 
met with Lawrence (now an old bachelor) at the city of 
Houston, and from him I learned the subsequent fate of the 
others. Uncle Seth, he told me, remained on his little ranch 
for about a year after our return from the exploring expedi- 
tion, but the country around him was then settling rapidly 
and he grew more and more discontented with the condition 
of affairs until the new comers crowded upon him so much 
he could stand it no longer. "Why, sir," said he to him, ''it 
does beat all natur, the way the people is flocking into this 
neck of woods. Last week a feller squatted down not more'n 
two miles from my ranch, and yistidy, while I was layin' in 
bed, I hearn his old Shanghai rooster crow as plain as you 



Tlie Young Explorers. 237 

kin hear me talk now; and what's wurs nor all that," he con- 
tinued, ''I'm told that two er three dozen of his uncles, aunts 
and cousins are goin' to move into the neighborhood next 
fall, but," he added, "I shall be off" somewhere certin afore 
they 2;it here and fence up; as it is I can't ride now five miles 
any way without meetin' somebody, and purty soon I s'pose 
the whole country will be in a work with people jest like a 
ants* nest when you stir it up with a stick." "And in fact," said 
Lawrence, '^a few weeks afterwards. Uncle Seth rode over to 
Frontier Hall with his rifle on his shoulder and his traveling 
accoutrements strapped to his saddle, to bid us good bye, as 
he said he was off for California. He staid with us that night 
and left the next morning, and that," said Lawrence, "was the 
last I ever saw or heard of Uncle Seth, until a short time ago, 
when I met a gentleman from California, who told me he saw 
him in the mines at Roaring camp, where he was digging 
gold and occasionally varying the monotony of such a life 
with a scrimmage with Indians and grizzlies." 

"Henry, poor fellow," continueti Lawrence, 'Vas killed at 
the bloody battle of Chickamagua, whilst charging the ene- 
my at the head of his company. Willie," he said, "came 
safely through the war, and married as soon as it was over, 
and is now living on his ranch not far from Frontier Hall, 
and is likely soon to become one of the 'cattle kings' of 
Texas. Cudjo," continued Lawrence, "is still living with my 
father. After the war, he was of course, like the other dar- 
kies left 'lord of himself,' but he wisely declined accepting 
that 'heritage of woe,' saying, 'he was jess as free as he wan- 
ted to be, and that he was nebber gwying to leave old Mass 
Rivers.' I don't think, however," said Lawrence, "that 'Mass 
Rivers' has been benefited much pecuniarily by this determi- 
nation of Cudjo, nevertheless, he was a faithful servant in 
times gone by and my father is much attached to him. Noth- 
ing," said Lawrence, *'delights Cudjo more, than to take a 



238 The Young Explorers, 

seat under a spreading live oak of a summer evening with his 
corn cob pipe in full blast, and expatiate to an admiring 
crowd of darkies 'bout de great fight de ^splorers hab wid dem 
wile Comanche tother side de head ob de Frio,' and particu- 
larly of his own feats of prowess in that bloody engagement. 
With Cudjo that fight stands alone, 'of itself a thing apart, 
like Adam's recollection of his fall,' and it forms an epoch 
from which every event of his life is reckoned. Not a great 
while ago I heard some one ask him how long ago it was since 
a certain incident had occurred. *Can't say adzactly, sah,' 
replied Cudjo, "but I believe it was 'bout a year afore de 
'splorers hab dat big fight wid de Comanche tother side de 
Frio.' 'Why, what fight was that?' said his questioner, 'I have 
never seen anything about it in the papers?' 'May be so,' 
said Cudjo, "but dere's many tings you don't see nuffin of in 
de papers dat's so, and a good many you does see in 'em dat 
ain't so.* 'Likely enough,' said his questioner, 'but tell me 
how many Comanches did you fight on that occasion?' 
*Bout five hundred,' said Cudjo. 'And how many of ihe Co- 
manches did you kill?' 'I tink 'bout er hundred sah.' 'And 
how many did you kill yourself?' *Don'tknow sah, adzactly, 
but 1 shoot fifty buck loads, into 'em, and nebber miss nary 
a time, sah.' '' 



FINIS. 



• ^<J>!^ 



APPENDIX. 



LIST OF MEN UNDER THE COMMAND OF COL. 

J. W. FANNIN IN 1835—36. 



[Copy of the original list of the men in Col. J. W. Fannin's 
command, original in the handwriting of Dr. Joseph H. Bar- 
nard, Assisstant Surgeon of the Division, and now deposited 
in the Historical Department at Austin.] 



'*A list of the men under the command of Col. J. W. Fan- 
nin, who were in the battle of Encinal del Perdido on the 9th 
of March, 1836, and of those under the command of Lieut. 
Col. Wm. Ward, who were with him at the battle of the Mis- 
sion del Refugio, March 13th, 1836. 



J. W. Fannin, Colonel commanding, 
William Ward, Lieutenant Colonel, 
Warren Mitchell, Major ^'Georgia Battallion," 
Benj. C. Wallace, Major "Lafayette Battallion," 

Chadwick, Adjutant, 

J. S. Brooks, Adjutant, 
Gideon Rose, Sergeant Major, 
David J. Holt, Quartermaster, 
Joseph E, Field, Surgeon, 
Joseph H. Barnard, Surgeon. 



244 Appendix. 

GEORGIA BATTALION. 

Warren Mitchell, Major. 

CAPT. king's company. 

Aaron B. King, Captain, 
Samuel Anderson, Sergeant, 
Geo. W. Penny, Sergeant, 
J. K. Callison, Sergeant, 
Wm. R. Johnston, Sergeant. 

J. C. Humphries, L. C. Gibbs, 

J. C. Stewart, H. H. Kirk, 

L. G. H. Bracy, T. Cooke, 

James Henley, Jackson Davis, 

Garvin H. Smith, R. A. Toler, 

Benj. Oldum, Francis Dietrich, 

F. Davis, J. Colegram, 

Snead Ledbetter, Wm. S. Armstrong, 

Joel Heth, Johnson. 

CAPT. bullock's company. 

F. M. Hunt, First Sergeant, 
Bradford Fowler, Second Sergeant, 
Allison Arms, Third Sergeant, 

Jas. B. Munson, First Corporal, 
T. S. Freeman, Second Corporal, 
S. T. Brown, Third Corporal, 

G. M. Vigal, Fourth Corporal. 

Joseph Andrews, Isaac iVldridge, 

Wm. S. Butler, J. H. Barnwell, 

George W. Gumming, Wm. A. J. Brown, 



Appendix. 



245 



Joseph Dennis^ 
— - Ellis, 

Gibbs, 

Saml. G. Hardaway, 
John O. Moore, 
John Moat, 
L. T. Pease, 
Austin Perkins, 
John T. Spillers, 
Thos. I. Smith, 
Jas. A. Stovall, 
Wm. L. Wilkerson, 

Wood, 

Moses Butler, 



Michael Devreaux, 
Chas. Fine, 
Pierce Hammock, 
Prury H. Minor, 
Benj. H. Mordecai, 
R. McKenzie, 
Robt. A. Pace, 
Saml. Rowe, 
John S. Scully, 
Thos, Stewart, 

Tresevant, 

Weeks, 

Jas. McCay, 

A. H. Osborne."^ 



CAPT. JAMES C. WINN'S COMPANY. 



Wiley Hughes, First Lieutenant, 
Daniel B. Brooks, Second Lieutenant, 
Anthony Bates, First Sergeant, 
John S. Thorn, Second Sergeant, 
J. H. Callaghan, Third Sergeant, 
Wesley Hughes, Fourth Sergeant, 
John Gimble, First Corporal, 
Walter M, Davis, Second Corporal, 
Abraham Stevens, Third Corporal, 
J. M. Powers, Fourth Corporal, 
Ray, Corporal, 



John Aldridge, 
Michael Carroll, 



John M. Bryson, 
Thomas H. Corbys, 



'^NoTE — Osborne'was wounded at the battle of the Mission 
and was left there. I believe he escaped. 



246 



Appendix. 



John Ely; 
Dominie Gallaglie, 
Greer Lee, 

Alexander J. Lovelady, 
Aaron S. Mangum, 
John M. Oliver, 
William Parvin, 
Anderson Ray, 
William Shelton, 
Christopher Winters, 
Josias B. Beall, 
Reason Banks, 



George Eubanks 
Nelson Helms, 
Joseph Loving, 
Martin Moran, 
Watkins Nobles, 
Patrick Osburn, 
Gideon S. Ross, 
Thomas Rumly, 
James Smith, 
Harrison Young, 
John Bright, 
H. Shultz. 



CAPT. WARDSORTH'S COMPANY. 



John B. Reese, First Lieutenant, 
J. L. Wilson, Second Lieutenant, 
S. A. J. Mays, Second Sergeant, 
Samuel Wallace, Third Sergeant, 
J. H. Neely, Fourth Sergeant, 
James McSherry, First Corporal, 
J. T. Brown, Second Corporal, 
J. B. Murphy, Third Corporal, 



George Rounds, 
T. H. Barton, 
W. J. Cawan, 
J. A. Forster, 
F. Gilkerson, 
Thos. Horry, 
Allen Ingram, 
J. H. Moore, 
M. K. Moses, 
R. Slatter, 



William Abercrombie, 

J. H. Clark, 

E. Durrain, 

Joseph Gamble, 

William Gilbert, 

A. J. Hitchcock, 

John P. C. Kennymore, 

C. C. Milne, 

J. B. Rodgers, 

J. H. Sanders, 



Appendix. 



247 



W. S. Turberville, 
H. Rodgers. 



E. Wingate, 



CAPT. I. TICKNOR'S company. 



Memory A. Tatom, First Lieutenant, 
Wm. A. Smith, Second Lieutenant, 
Edmund Patterson, First Sergeant, 
Nicholas B. Waters, Second Sergeant, 
Richard Rutledge, Third Sergeant, 
Saml. C. Pittman, Fourth Sergeant. 



Joseph B, Tatom, 
Perry Reese, 
Thomas Weston, 
John McGowen, 
Samuel Wood, 
Isaac N. Wright, 
Washington Mitchell, 
Henry Harty, 
Cornelius Rooney, 
Cullen Canard, 
Edward Fitzsimmons, 
C. F. Hick, 
Wm. Comstock, 
Charles Lautz, 
A. M. Lynch, 
Layton Allen, 

Swords, 

Wm. P. B. Dubose. 



James C. Jack, 
Thomas Reeves, 
D. Greene, 
David Johnson, 
William Welsh, 
Wm. L. Alston, 
Stephen Baker, 
James A Bradford, 
Seaborn A. Mills, 
James O. Young, 
Hezekiah Frost, 
O. F. Leverett, 
John O. Daniel, 
Evans M. Thomas, 
G. W. Carlisle, 
Jesse Harms, 
Williams, 



LAFAYETTE BATTALION. 

Benj. C. Wallace, Major. 



248 



Appendix. 



CAPT. SHACKLEFORD'S COMPANY. 

Jack Shackleford, Captain, 

Francis, Second L eutenant, 

Fortunatus S. Shackleford, Orderly Sergeant, 

J. D. Hamilton, Second Sergeant, 

A. G. Foley, Third Sergeant, 

T. M. Short, Fourth Sergeant, 

H. H. Bentley, First Corporal, 

D. Moore, Second Corporal, 

J. H. Barkley, Third Corporal, 

A. Winter, Fourth Corporal. 



P. H. Anderson, 

Z. M. Brooks, 

E. Burbidge, 

Wm. Bayhaye (deserted) 

J. W. Cain, 

Harvey Cox, 

J. G. Coe> 

S. Connor (lost on express) 

G. L. Davis, 

A. Dickson, 

R. T. Davidson, 

J. E. Ellis, 

Robert Fenner, 

James G. Ferguson, 

M. C. Garner, 

Wm. Gunter, 

Wm. Hemphill, 

John Jackson, 

E. Ludington, (deserted) 

John H. Miller, 

J. E. Seaton, 



Joseph Blackwell, 
F. W. Burts, 
J. N. Barnhill, 
W. C. Douglass, 

D. Cooper, 
Seth Clark, 

Cantvvell, 

Alfred Dorsey, 
H. B. Day, 

J. W. Duncan, 

Derritt, (deserted) 

Samuel Farney, 
Joseph Fenner, 

E. B. Franklin, 
D. Gamble, 

J. E. Grimes, 
John Hyser, 
John Kelly, 
Daniel Murdock, 
W. Simpson, 
W. J. Shackleford, 



Appendix. 249 

B. Strunk, F. W. Savage, 
James Vaughn, N. E. Vaughn, 
Robert Wilson, ^ James VVil.lcr, 
Wm. Quinn, ' Henry L. Doiiglns 
H.W. Jo.es, • John R. Jjckson, 

CAPT. DUNAL's company. 

B H. Duv'M, Captain, 

Samuel Wilson, First Lieutenant, 

J. Q, Merrifield, Second Lieutenant, 

G. W. Daniel, First Sergeant, 

J. S. Bagley, Second Sergeant, 

E. P. G. Chisra, Third Sergeant, 

N. Dickerson, Fourth Sergeant, 

N. B. Hawkins, Corporal, 

A. B. Williams, Corporal, 

A. K. L\ nd, Corporal, » 

R. C. Brashear, Corporal. 

T G. Allen, J. M. Adams, 

T. F. Bellows, Wm. S. Carlson, 

Thos. S. Churchill, Wm. H. Cole, 

John C. Duval, H. W. Downman, 

John Donohoo, George Dyer, 

John HoUiday, C. R. Haskill, 

Johnson, Q. P. Kemps, 

A. G. Lemond, Wm. Mayer, 

J. McDonald, William Mason, 

Harvey Martin, Kobert Owens, 

R. R. Owens, ■ Sharpe* 

L S. Simpson, Sanders, 

C. B. Shaine, L. Tilson, 



250 



Appendix. 



B. W. Toliver, 
John Van Bibber, 
— ^> — Batts, 
Wm. Waggoner. 



J. K. Volkner, 
S. Van Bibber, 
Woolrich, 



'& 



CAPT. PETTUS' COMPANY. 



Pettus, Captain, 

John Grace, Lieutenant, 
E. S. Heath, Sergeant, 
Wm. L. Hunter, Sergeant, 

James, Sergeant, 

Samuel Riddel, Sergeant. 



E. J. Carriere, 
James P. Riddle, 
George Green, 

Holland, 

Wm. G. Preusch, 
Dennis Mahoney, 
George M. Gilland, 
David J. Jones, 
Wm. Harper, 
Edward Moody, 
John Reece, 
R. J. Scott, 
W. P. Johnson, 

Hodge, 

West, 

Perkins, 

Logan, 



Allen O. Kenney, 
F. H. Gray, 
Charles Sergeant, 

Cozart, 

John Wood, 
Noah Dickinson, 
George Noss, 

Wallace, 

Wm. Brenan, 
— — Escott, 
Manuel Carbajal, 

Gould, 

A. Bynum, 
Chas. Phillips, 
J. M. Cass, 
Peter Griffin, 
Milton Irish. 



Appendix. 



251 



CAPT. BURKE'S COMPANY. 

J. B. McMannony, First Lieutenant, 
James Kelly, Orderly Sergeant, 
H. D. Ripley, Sergeant, 



Kneeland Taylor, 
P. T. Kissam, 
Orlando Wheeler, 
Wm. Rosinberry, 
Alvin C. White, 
M.P. King, 
Wm. P. Wood, 
Peter Mattern, 
Conrad Egenour, 
Jos. H. Spohn, 
N. J. Devenny, 
Wm. Hunter, 
S. M. Edwards, 
A. Swords, 
Charles Linley, 
Randolph T. Spaine. 



Chas. B. Jennings, 
John Richards, 
John D. Cunningham, 
Wm. McMurray, 
John Chew, 
Jacob Colman, 
Wm. Stephens, 
Hermann Ehrenberg, 
G. F. Courtman, 
Thos. Kemp, 
James Reid, 
M. G. Frazier, 
Wm. J. Green, 
Z. O. Neil, 
Wm. Gatlin, 



CAPT. p. S. WYATT'S company. 



B. T. Bradford, First Lieutenant, 
Oliver Smith, Second Lieutenant, 
Wm. Wallace, First Sergeant, 
George Thayer, Second Sergeant, 
Henry Wilkins, Third Sergeant, 
J. D. Rains, Fourth Sergeant, 
Oliver Brown, Quartermaster, 
Peter Allen, Musician. 



252 



Appendix, 



Bennett Butler, 
Ewing Caruthers, 
Perry Davis, 
T. B. Frizel, 
Edward Fuller, 
H. G. Hudson, 
John Lumkin, 

Clennon, 

Charles Patton, 
Wm. R. Simpson, 
Allen Wren, 
¥. Peterswitch, 
James Hamilton. 



Gabriel Bush, 
N. Dembrinski, 
Henry Dixon, 
J. H. Fisher, 
Frederick Gibenrath, 
J. Korticky, 
E. Nixon, 
J. F. Morgan, 
John R. Parker, 
Frederick Leveman, 
Wm. S. Parker, 
E. D. Harrison, 



REGULAR AEMY. 



CAPT. WESTOVER'S COMPANY. 



Ira Westover, Captain, 
Lewis N. Gates, Second Lieutenant, 
Wm. S. Brown, First Sergeant, 
George McKnight, Second Sergeant, 
John McGloin, Third Sergeant. 



Augustus Baker, 
John Cross, 
Wm. Harris, 
Dennis McGowan, 
A. M. O'Boyle, 
Thamas Quirk, 
Thomas Smith, alias Abel 
Morgan, 



Matthew Byrne, 
John Fagan, 
John Kelly, 
Patrick Nevin, 
George Pettick, 
Edward Ryan, 
E. J. A. Greynolds 
Marion Betts, 



Appendix. 



25$ 



Daniel Buckley, 
G. W. Coglan, 
Richard Disney, 
Otis G. Eelles, 
Robert English, 
Wm. Hatfield, 
Charles Jenson, 
John Mumiin, 
Sidney Smith, 
Lewis Shatts, 
Joseph W. Watson, 
Wra. Winningham, 



Mathew Conway, 
George Dearick, 
AndrewjK. Eddy, 
John Gleeson, 
John Kitchard, 
Wm, Mann, 
Stephen Pierce, 
Daniel Syers, 
Charles Stewart, 
James Webb, 
Ant. Siley, 
John James, 



UNATTACHED. 



Wm. Scurlock, 
Daniel Murphy, 

Bills, 

John Williams, 
Samuel Sprague, 
James Pittman, 
R.R. Petty, 
Charles Heck, 
G. W. Cash, 
Wm. Haddon, 
Francis Garcia, 
Napoleon B. Williams, 
Hughes Witt, 
Thomas Dasher, 

Duffield, 

Spencer. 



Nat. Hazen, 

Hurst, 

Capt. Dusanque, 
Capt. Frazer, 

Hughes, 

C. Hardwick, 

Jones, 

Nat. R. Brister, 
Erastus Yeamans, 
Daniel Martindale, 
Charles Smith, 
Ransom O. Graves, 
Lewis Powell, 
George Pain, 
John J, Hand, 



/ 



/ i" 



^'- 



I 



